Wild Moon

by WildmoonNH

Rating: everyone
Tags: Alternate Universe, Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure, Shining Armor, Random, Princess Celestia
Length: 43652

An alternate look at the events from the MLP: FiM series pilot, from a different POV

This story parallels the pilot of the series, filling in a few blanks... and introducing some new faces to the return of Nightmare Moon

Published 2015-06-15 16:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-06-15 16:30:02 UTC

Prologue

Prologue: A walk through the palace grounds

Rare is the sight in Equestria than the sight of an alicorn - a creature of great majesty, one of unparalleled magic, beauty, and grace. So many generations were used to seeing only one such alicorn - Princess Celestia, she who would raise the sun and moon and left cues to her subjects of the changing of the seasons. Her mere presence inspired awe and respect, and no one questioned her wisdom.

The shock became greater when the year's Summer Sun Celebration had two such creatures.

Celestia's sister Luna, rescued from the madness of exile, was now among ponykind. She remained glued to her sister's flank through all the festivities, saying little as the din of the festival shocked her ears and dazzled her eyes. The cold of the moon, the silence of the night, and the dust under her hooves would linger in her memories but this strange welcome of those that first quaked at her presence almost confused her.

It was a week or two after the celebration where she felt rested enough to walk the grounds of the castle. Celestia accompanied her; it seemed she had much to discuss. What was the future of their family? Where were the others? The halls of the castle were almost as quiet as the moon itself, save the slow walk of the two sisters through the grand halls.

"Are you becoming more acclimated to being home, dear sister?" Celestia asked gently as they walked.

"I am well," she replied hesitantly. "Why do you house so many guards, but none of our Family? Where hides our brothers and sisters after all these long years? Has time scattered them as I was...?"

Celestia didn't want to respond to the second part of the question immediately; she wasn't sure if Luna was prepared for the truth. She chose to answer the first portion. "The guard compliment was increased as my duties had increased, sister. The guards are here to do more than protect just this castle.

"I have employed earth pony guards at the castle proper for tasks and court. They live here as travel for them from this castle is very treacherous. If they wish to bring family, I have permitted so and given them quarters to accommodate."

Luna nodded, so Celestia continued.

"The pegasus guards are the eyes and ears of the castle, and transport for the many unicorn students that study here. They are also our field agents in many other matters. They are typically my most experienced guards - some have backgrounds as sheriffs and detectives in other cities before being selected to come to Canterlot."

Luna looked away, recalling how she buffeted them away on that night....

"The unicorn guards are mostly for the interior of the facility...." Celestia's voice trailed off as she saw that Luna had stopped walking.

"Sister, there are windows missing from our great hall." Luna declared as she suddenly paced up and down the long hallway, looking at the ornate stained-glass windows that showered their own rainbows up and down the halls. She recognized the Discord window and his tortures of the masses, but the one that spoke of the resolution wasn't what she remembered. Same, too, for another window that showed the sisters in a circle, as if chasing each other on some cosmic carousel. She recognized herself immediately, a hoof balanced on the moon, and Celestia as the other half of the circle, hoof balanced on the sun. "This is not correct," she mused aloud, "there were others.... were there not? Where are the others?"

Celestia did not respond.

"Sister, you MUST know that this history is wrong! Where are the others?"

Celestia looked away.

"Sister, I DEMAND an explanation for this!" Luna's voice found strength it had not had since her return.

Celestia looked back, her expression stern. "We will speak of this in no other place than our private Chambers," the white alicorn ordered. "Where you CAN hear the story and why it is told this way."

Prologue part 2: the house divided

"Sister, do you remember the last night the family was together?"

The two alicorns had retreated to a luxurious room in the castle, adorned with ancient art and exquisite furnishings. Thickly-padded couches, softer than new spring clouds gave them a place to relax or sleep, and the floor littered with giant cushions in a faded spectrum of color. Luna added a few to her couch, levitating them in place with her horn, before she replied.

"I... remember so little... the anger... the darkness... the night...." She looked away in regret. "Why must you bring this up..?"

"This is difficult for you, and knowing you remember only makes this more so. But on that night, you may not recall the battle that ensued – a battle that ended your time here for a thousand years. The punishment that I had found just..." Celestia's voice trailed off. "Just, when I had done so."

Luna blinked in surprise. "Sister, I...."

Celestia looked up again. "I will tell you this tale only once, for it shall never be committed to a scroll for anypony's eyes to see." The white alicorn's voice grew distant as her horn lit anew, and a chaotic scene spread out before them.....

It was Canterlot, all right.... all its majesty that could still glow even under the light of a shimmering full moon. Luna recognized the position of it - at its zenith, a summer's moon as a reminder of the coming Summer Sun Celebration.

There was no celebration below, however - the scene shifted regularly from one pony village to another, and ponies were wide awake and galloping in random directions, wide-eyed and panicked. The fervor was even more distressing in its silence. Luna gasped as she saw ponies running headlong into forests, deserts, even dragon's caves in their fear. The scene showed Canterlot from the distance, where the moon trembled in the sky and the eastern horizon burned in protest. The castle itself shook as the grounds resonated with enormous magics that spooked the unicorns, petrified pegasi and scattered earth ponies to the four winds.

The image then slowly focused closer on the castle, where flashes and sparks of magic cracked the walls and shattered the windows in the Great hall. Luna's expression melted from shock to despair as the view entered the castle.

She saw herself as Nightmare Moon. She saw herself angrily defending her beloved moon and night sky against her own sister and two of their brothers. She wanted to look away, but she could not. Her eyes widened when she saw that other family - other alicorns - lay still on the battleground. She opened her mouth to speak but her voice was silenced by a sight she could not comprehend.

Nightmare Moon didn't stand alone. Another black alicorn, adorned in armor the color of storm clouds, stood at her side. She gasped when she recognized his mark.... three black crescent moons. The other alicorn's midnight-blue eyes were glowing from the exertion as they tried to hold the moon in place as the others tried to push it westward. There still was no sound but her memories filled in the crackle of magic, the thunderous argument and ignored demands from both sides. Luna saw her sister and their oldest brother still standing, badly wounded and holding their ground only with the assistance of the Elements of harmony hovering around them. The older brother faltered in the battle, just long enough for the two black alicorns to attempt one last push to victory.

Luna steeled her resolve as she saw her sister lower her horn one last time. The Elements themselves had been swirling around her and the oldest brother, and they locked in place around the duo as the darkness swooped closer. Celestia reared at the approaching darkness, and with help from their brother cast a shimmering bolt of force that shattered the incoming gloom and launched across the room to their opponents. Both alicorns were struck by the blast, but Nightmare Moon was swept away from her one ally. She kicked and fought against the white magics before she was subdued by its forces.

Luna then saw the one sight that she missed as her life in Canterlot ended that night and her exile began.

Tears.

Tears in the eyes of Celestia and elder brother Solaris. Tears as the elements encased her in a chrysalis and shot her toward the moon that she herself would not lower. Tears as there was no chance for a farewell or an explanation.

Tears of rage in ther other black alicorn's eyes as he saw the elements - and his relations -collapse from exertion of the battle. Tears of frustration as his horn glowed a brilliant blue, petrifying the elements around them before launching out the remaining intact window in the hallway- the window of Discord.

The last image before it faded from sight were the two white alicorns in mourning. Luna quietly wept, understanding the fate of two of their bretheren because of her rash actions. Another tear shed for her "ally", who had no words of comfort for the family sundered by her. She lowered her head, wishing she could simply bury herself under the cushions until she could forget what she had seen......

"Sister, mourn not for the past. As long as we are now together we can continue our rule."

"What of our brothers?" She sobbed. "Lapis.... Solaris.... Aphelion... Cepheid...."

"What we did was for the sake of Equestria - even our own Family's needs had to be swept aside for this. Solaris left the duties of Equestria to me while Aphelion and Cepheid were-"

"They're dead, aren't they?"

"Mourn not for the past," Celestia repeated.

"I.... yes, sister."

Chapters 1-4

Part 1: The sun laughs, the moon cries

Some years prior....

Lost in an ebony field of jagged mountains housed a castle, etched into one such peak like a silvered cavity, and facing northward, minimizing the sun's view inside. The structure, carved through the blackened rocks from nearby angry volcanoes was pierced in places with shards of shimmering obsidian and hematite, locked in place with magic unknown to the area. Inside the mountain spread a twisted estate of macabre decor, a haunted castle deliberately painted in dour hues of greys and blacks and muted blues. No windows gave the sun its chance to inspect such decor, for the only light allowed blossomed from magic-infused mosses that would brighten and darken at an unspoken command.

The interior, littered with wrought-iron furniture and dark with scorched tapestries, only intensified the darkness burning within the one who resided there. He paced the empty hallways anew, the occasional bat fluttering just out of physical reach, the occasional spider scampering across the walls. A stray scorpion collapses under an angry hoof as the black stallion marched to his librarem Noctem, which overflowed with books reproduced from his long memory.

Ebon doors fell away at his telekinetic command and he walked purposely to an enormous map that was framed by dusty bookcases and overflowing shelves of scrolls. There, he could read the portents as the wheels of time continued to turn. As long as Order remained as he saw it some centuries in the past, he knew the time was drawing near.

The map ticked along positions of sun, moon and stars, an expansive kaleidoscope of motion beyond many scholars' comprehension. Knowledge, perhaps, lost to the busybodies in Canterlot, but they're too blinded by their own sun to understand what the night offers them.

"Let them slumber," he said to the map, "Let her muse under the golden rays of the sun that all will remain well. Perhaps she forgets the anniversary on the horizon... when on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will release Nightmare Moon from her exile and return this world to Eternal Night."

A scroll slithered out from a haphazard stack and hovered to one side and he explored the map anew. "In my travels before this castle was assembled, I would hear voices as I explored ... when the sun shone, ponies laughed and shared stories. When the storms blew, they would huddle together in fear and wait for it to pass. But in the night... where a thousand stories are told in the sky with the moon as a lantern to read them - they close their eyes to it all. And if they do not sleep, their voices rarely raise above a whisper, fearful if the shadows had ears. The calm of a clear night lost on all these generations, not understanding the tapestry she wove...."

He paused to read the scroll, then compare it's notations to the map. "Were you able to hear my voice, sister, I will be the Northern star that guides you home. May I complete the Star compass in time to fulfill the prophecy as written by the cults that remember our true names. Luna, my dear sister... wait for me, the Shadow of the Moon, Umbral."

The scroll rolled itself shut as the stallion sighed. Why was there no joy to this errand? Reuniting with Family should not be a chore. There was a time that he would laugh, he would dance, he would rear up to spread his wings for the simple feeling of power and joy it brought him. He snorted toward one of the tiny windows, which reminded him there was still a great deal of daylight left.

"The sun laughs and call this folly," he grumbled. "and the moon whispers in tears. I cannot accomplish this mission alone."

Chapter 2

The answer is blowing in the wind...

Lapis turned to exit the library when he saw the windows darken. The wind outside had picked up considerably and Umbral could hear what he thought was rain spattering the exterior. He watched as the sun was seemingly blocked, but the clouds that did so were.... brown??

Baffled, he took a hesitant step toward the windows to see the clouds were not typical weather. The wind whipped in another direction and sand blasted into the room and coated him like a layer of talcum. Angrily he shook the itchy barrage from his mane before blocking the windows with a magical barrier. He didn't conjure that sandstorm... and there shouldn't be weather ponies in this area. He flew from the library back through his facility and to the main entrance, where he tried to peer through the storm itself.

A tingle, a twinge.... of magic? Indeed not a natural storm! Incensed, he reared and spread his wings.

"BE STILL!" He thundered in the Royal Family voice, punctuating the demand with his hooves striking the hematite tiles at the entranceway, the *Crack* echoing through the jagged hills. The winds shifted once more before stopping completely, the remaining sand hovering comically before collapsing like a wave across the valley floor. The lingering hiss of the falling sand rang for a few moments before another sound barely touched the ebon stallion's ear. He guessed these were hoofbeats - whoever whipped up that storm had been startled by his order. "A trespasser," he mused aloud.

Leaping from the entranceway he started gliding in the direction of the hoofbeats. In his haste he realized he'd forgotten to disguise himself... but knew that too much magic in one day might wake up the blissfully sleeping princess. He hoped he'd have a second or two to at least mask his horn if he's spotted as a pegasus.

He closed, spotting an oddly-colored mare fleeing in sheer panic. She was apparently crazed by her fear as she would run til she ran into something, turn slightly left or right, then burst into a gallop anew. He followed her for some time in the air, noting she also never once looked over her shoulder. She ran for several miles before stumbling to a stop, breathing hard and trying to form words to calm herself down. Umbral landed, quietly folding his wings and getting a better look at the mare who tread in his lands.

She was apparently not a pony - a zebra? here? Umbral found that odd, but odder still was her coloring - she was the color of fertile earth, and her stripes the shade of new leaves. Her sky-blue mane was filled with sand and messy from the wind and her running. Her short tail drooped low, and he noted her flank bore a blackish symbol he didn't understand. He started to walk closer, hoping to get a better look.

"Who.... who's there?" she asked without turning her head. She was still trying desperately to catch her breath.

Recalling what he knew about zebras, he thought to attempt to speak like one. "Milady please, I mean you no harm. Your running is what has raised my alarm."

The zebra raised her head, ears perked. Umbral boggled, however, at the sight of her horn. Zebras could be unicorns?

"Another zebra?" she asked. "I don't speak the old way."

Umbral was even further fascinated. He walked closer. "Then why were you running?" he queried, even if he already knew the answer.

"Someone.... some-thing.... interrupted my spell. I was practicing."

"'Practicing'?"

She nodded, finally turning to face him. "Sandstorms and wind magic are my specialty," she said proudly.

The sudden turn startled Umbral. He noted that she kept her eyes closed as she spoke.

"I am known as Night Ash," she introduced herself. "I learned wind magic at an early age, and used it to clear volcanic ashes from areas near where I was raised."

"You seem far from home. There aren't many ponies of any kind in this area."

"I'm used to that," she replied without a trace of melancholy. "I have to practice in less populated areas. I don't wish to hurt anyone until I can improve my control."

Umbral stood before her. "Why are your eyes closed? The sun is not that bright, and the storm you created is gone."

Night Ash hesitated. "I'm not sure you want to know."

"And why not? Would you not want to at least see who you're talking to?"

"I wish I could, sir, but I am unable to see anything."

Umbral opened his mouth to speak, but could not. She is blind, and alone?

"It's my own fault," Night ash's voice trembled. "I couldn't even get out of the way of my own storms, and one that I had lost control...."

He saw tears starting to form. He walked right up to her this time, touching horns. "No tears. Please."

She stopped as she felt a horn against hers. "you're a unicorn..."

"I am," he lied. "You may call me Lapis."

"Lapis? so you are a blue unicorn?" she queried.

"Blue, and black," he admitted. "My eyes are blue as well. My wi- er, my withers are mostly black."

"And you're taller than me, I can tell."

"Is that magic?" Umbral didn't understand her observation.

"My eyes may not work, but there's nothing wrong with my ears." She flicked them about. "That's why I knew you were behind me, and fussing with your leather cape before you started walking toward me."

Umbral almost corrected her, but realized he might scare her further. He also had a small realization of his own... she said she needed to learn, so teaching her would certainly bring her around to his cause. "My cape? Oh, this old thing...." he rustled a wing. "I wear it everywhere, just a sentimental thing."

"You sound older than me, too." she noted.

Umbral simply cleared his throat, which made Night Ash smile.

"And as your elder," Umbral announced, "Perhaps I should bring you in and teach you better control of your magic."

"Do you live near here?"

"It's a bit of a walk, but we have time. Unless you already had a destination -"

"Lapis, I would be grateful for any assistance."

"Then follow me," Umbral suggested, the double meaning not lost to him.

"I... of course. Lead the way."

Chapter 3

Thunder and metal

The walk back to the castle was one full of simple conversations, ones that Umbral had not had with anypony in a couple of decades. His last interactions - mostly with cult followers who knew what he was - were always stilted and filled with the appropriate honorifics. Expected, of course, but even Umbral's hardened heart softened at the stories Night Ash told him of her journeys.

She spoke of where she was raised, a village on the edge of a desert, populated by ponies and zebra. She explained that the zebra tribe apparently made a pact with the village to share each other's means of survival - the zebras' herbalism and the ponies' weather control and magic. The combination proved more than successful, and the two villages merged and prospered.

She called the village Farasipunda* and mentioned her family line traced back though the village history for five generations. Her magic was used an assist for the pegasi, but her accomplishment came from using her talent to redirect volcanic ash away from her village, saving it from the cloud that would have left their village in darkness.

Umbral remained silent to that story; "saving her village from darkness" hit him the wrong way. He shook his mane clear, reasoning that in this case it was not sun and moon but a village choked by a cloud of volcanic ash.

"I've talked much of this journey," she concluded. "Please, tell me why you are living alone so far from another village."

"I am from a large family of unicorns," he began, "let's just say we had a horrible falling out. my sisters had a serious disagreement to which my brothers and I were divided. We could not exist under the same roof, much less our same village, so we went our separate ways."

Night Ash's ears drooped. "I’m ... I'm sorry to have asked."

"You were unaware."

Their trek continued in uncomfortable silence. Umbral watched his new charge as he continued her sure-footed walk to his immediate left, intrinsically trusting her ears and only the slightest pause as she walked to apparently gauge her surroundings. He kept in step with her, ears twitching to try to understand her method. He was so entrenched in the activity that her abrupt stop startled him.

"Night Ash, what-"

"We're not alone," she shushed, ears twitching even faster. She paced in a circle, head turning, mane ruffled in consternation. Umbral stopped to listen as well, but at first all he heard was the howling winds around them. He had deliberately altered the path that Night Ash had taken from his fortress but they were still among the jagged peaks. The sun had nearly set, spreading its own natural rainbow across the western horizon, and only the furthest east had the first hints of the night tapestry begun to weave.

The wind had its own voice in the valley, but its lonely howl had accompaniment of another voice - one with angrier emphasis. Its rage occasionally interrupted with a ring of metal or a guttural, primordial snarl of defiance. Night Ash's head whipped right as the snarl grew louder. Umbral's reaction only a second slower before both were knocked off their feet. Ash whinnyed in shock as she sprawled several feet before colliding into some rocks. Umbral himself staggered a foot or two before settling himself and looking around.

The growling stopped. Ash was trying not to whimper from the blow. Umbral's midnight-blue eyes darkened at the next sound.

Laughter. Not the laugh you hear over a good story or turn of phrase; this was the cruel laugh of a pony with no intention for frivolity. Umbral's horn illuminated the area, flooding it with an eerie blue glow. "Show yourself!" He demanded.

"No," came the cold-whispered answer before whoever it was swooped back in and tried to knock Umbral down. The blow was solid, a full shoulder into the larger stallion's side. Umbral staggered again, this time catching a glint of metal as the pony - a pegasus, he now knew - winged back outside of the lighted area, erupting again in cruel laughter.

"You strike me with blunt force, yet you're armed with wing-blades?" Umbral protested angrily, "You think us prey to toy with?"

"Yes,' the voice replied. "A handful of bits and I'll be on my merry way. Otherwise, I leave you begging for mercy so that you don't end up food for a straying monster."

"YOU'RE the monster," Umbral snorted, "for using a weapon outlawed!"

The laughter erupted again. "Telling an outlaw what isn't allowed? That's actually funny. Too bad it won't save you or stripes over there."

"Leave her be!"

"Oh, want her for yourself?? Can I watch? Or can I share? Love to foal me an alicorn with her...."

"Alicorn?!" Umbral gawked. The hesitation was enough for his attacker to swoop in again.

"Alicorn!" the pegasus replied. "Ain't that a kick to the rump?" The pegasus punctuated his crude turn of phrase with a powerful kick to Umbral's backside. Flat-footed, Umbral did sprawl this time, making the pegasus laugh even harder.

Umbral started to get to his feet, but was stopped as a wing-blade suddenly snapped to his throat. "Uh uh," the pegasus warned.

Only now could Umbral face his attacker. It was a pegasus, all right, a mottled mess of dried-blood red and stormcloud gray. His brilliant red eyes glimmered in anticipation of carving his new target to pieces. His mark - a black hand axe - suggested to Umbral that this would be a slow and very painful process. "so...." the pegasus leered, "Just a little off the top...? or can I have dibs on your lovely lady over there..?"

Umbral's eyes burned with rage before slowly closing. "An alicorn, you say...."

"Sure, why not?" The pegasus started to press his wing-blade against his captive's throat. "Never thought I'd ever see one, wouldn't mind tryin to make one. Even if it doesn't work, I know I'll have fun trying! So what's the answer?"

"You wish to see an alicorn.... and what would do in its presence?"

"If it was my foal, I'd raise him to bring the heavens down on the rest of Equestria and he'll THANK me for making him possible." The pegasus was quite serious despite his sadistic grin.

Umbral's eyes opened. "Allow me to save you the wait."

His horn flashed; with a muffled growl the pegasus staggered back. This was the second or two that Umbral needed to get back to his feet. "And what would you do," Umbral asked darkly, "if an 'alicorn' was the last sight you ever saw?"

The pegasus snapped to his feet, wings spread. "I'd-" he could speak no further.

His vision cleared to a terrifying sight - just in the dying embers of the day a silhouette of pure black hovered over him, draconic wings spread wide, fore-hooves reared and begging to strike. The horn seemed longer and sharper now, long enough to pierce him through the heart from any direction. The eyes glimmered a hellish-blue, catching fire as they focused downward. "And what now, bladed thief, that with a wish granted that your story ends under the Shadow of the Moon?"

The pegasus gawked. "S-s-shadow of the Moon?" he stammered. "b-b-b-but Nightmare Moon and the Moon's Shadow are old pony tales!"

"Never speak those names again," Umbral demanded.

The pegasus "knelt' before Umbral. "Forgive me! Spare my life!! I am dust to your hooves-" the groveling stopped with a slap of Umbral's wing.

"Enough," he ordered. The pegasus clamped his mouth shut. "You will follow me and my other companion back to my fortress. There you will learn what it means to be a warrior. No thief can steal a throne under the snouts of armies."

The pegasus stood, wings closed and head lowered. "Hatchet," he said simply. "I am no thief but a brigand of empty roads distant from all civilizations."

"You have much to learn, Hatchet. You will follow me."

"I will follow you..." Hatchet's voice trailed off.

"The name is Lapis," the alicorn insisted as he folded his wings.

"Lapis," Hatchet repeated mechanically.

Chapter 4

Desperate measure

The Months that followed became an interesting exercise for Umbral. On the one hoof, Night Ash's gentle spirit and eagerness to learn made for pleasant conversation as he trained her to focus her powers constructively. On the other hoof, Hatchet required a more forceful push in the correct direction. Despite absolute subservience when face-to-face, Hatchet has made several attempts to steal artifacts or even threaten Night Ash despite specific instructions. It took some... "Physical persuasion", but eventually Hatchet behaved. Umbral would reward his students with small gifts - he made "Talking books" for Night Ash and would fill rooms with furniture or sundries for Hatchet to destroy.

One thing that did impress Umbral about Hatchet was his ability to keep quiet of Umbral's true nature to Night Ash. Perhaps that point was understood immediately; perhaps the fear of the consequences was enough. Satisfied that they could care for his facilities for an evening, he told them he would be heading into the jagged peaks again to see if there were others around. Night Ash wished him well; Hatchet leered in her direction, only to be cowed by Umbral's withering glare.

The evening's journey actually took him westward, out and away from the jagged peaks he called home to a secluded forest* where one evening's scrye brought him an interesting sight- a grounded pegasus, constantly chased out of villages and forced to hide in a thicket there. The rest of that story was one he must hear...

This time Umbral remembered his disguise; his wings would vanish for now, and he would pass himself off as nothing more than a dark unicorn. He trotted into the woods, seeking the pegasus in question.

He heard her long before he saw her - a shriek of protest, followed by a string of angry curses and thrashing around caught his ear - and certainly any OTHER monster in the forest might take interest. Umbral picked up his pace, closing in on the sounds as the forest grew thicker around him, He grumbled as he shrugged off branches and kicked off vines reaching for his legs as he closed in on her tirade, not wishing to illuminate his horn and potentially startle her (too soon).

When he finally stumbled into the thicket he could just make her out in the shadows - she was fairly large for a female pegasus, amber eyes wild and her short mane whipping about with the rest of her body. Only now he could see the source of her trouble - she apparently disturbed a nest of blood-sucking stirges. She had several fully attached to her back and haunches, and she had been bucking around and slamming against the trees to try to knock them loose. The hoof-sized insects had her fast and continued to drain her despite her movement and panic. Her speech grew less intelligible and less ladylike. Her eyes remained wide in her panic, even if her body was giving out under her.

Confused to why she didn't take flight, he tried to approach her, illuminating his horn to get a better look at how many stirges plagued her. She nearly screamed at the sudden light - or at her sudden visitor? - before attempting to bolt. She turned away and simply collapsed, exhausted from trying to shake the creatures off.

Umbral almost panicked himself - was he too late? With a frustrated snort he approached her and started prying the insects off her body before kicking them into a tree or impaling them in mid-air. Dislodging one from his own flank once he had finished saving her, he finally seated himself next to her to examine her wounds.

She was still breathing; a good sign to Umbral. He debated moving her, but realized they'd both be safer back at the fortress. He tapped his horn to the side of her head to make sure she remained asleep before levitating her to his own back. She was very solid despite her heritage, her mottled coat a mix of sand and clay browns. One wing slid out of place as he tried to "rearrange" her, and the sight nearly made him drop her.

Never mind that one of the wings was broken - now he understood why she didn't fly away. Her wings were much like his - leathery, bat-like or draconine in design. He set her down again and walked around her several times, trying to detect any other magics on her. Nothing around her head, so she was not hiding a horn; nothing to her heart, which despite its depleted resources still sounded strong. All he found was a dark twinge right at the base of those wings.... a curse? A baleful polymorph? A sick twist of Poison Joke? Ever more intrigued he gathered her again and flew back to the fortress without a second thought.

Thankful for the moonless night, he could fly home unseen. This new charge, if he can convince her, will be another strong foot soldier. He would know in an hour or so, once he put her to rest on a soft couch and informed the others of his return.

Princess Celestia decided on a longer walk that morning, as she had her one night off a month where she didn't need to raise the moon.She had her best students meeting her early and she wanted a few more moments of solitude before reporting to class. She walked past many of the ornate statues dedicated to her garden from artisans all around Equestria, ranging from heroes to ideals to the bizarre. The center of the garden bore no statue but an ornate fountain carved from rare silvery marble, accented with rose quartz and living jade. The fountain had six separate streams flowing from its apex, pouring into three white and three black basins and draining into a long sluice that allowed the water to glimmer in the sunlight before filling the main basin. Here, this fountain stood as the only memory to a set of commissioned statues once stood - a combined monument of herself, Luna and their brothers. The statues had been removed to a private collection over seven hundred years ago, one that she and a very select few are permitted to view.

She sighed, missing her brothers and sister. For some reason the memories were very strong that morning, and she has trouble chasing them away. She hoped her students would provide the proper distractions when class began.

She trotted inside and through the halls to an unmarked room, where she saw one of her students already snout-deep in a book.

"Twilight Sparkle, you're very early today."

The purple unicorn cantered over to her mentor. "I had to come early - you should see the book that I found! Spike told me it was so dusty he couldn't make out the cover without sneezing!"

Curious, Celestia followed her student back to the book. "See?" Twilight beamed. "It's a book of history and legends. I didn't realize how much you had done for Equestria before-"

The book levitated away from the youngster. "It might say 'history', my student, but much of what is written in here is purely a litany of pony tales."

"Aww, I wanted to read more about the elements of harmony...."

"Another day," Celestia assured her star pupil. "Today, however, we should look closer at the elements of alchemy...."

As Celestia led her student to another bookshelf, the forgotten tome was placed among many other dusty editions. There will be a better day to read about them, my student, Celestia thought to herself.

Umbral spent a few hours in the morning reading over his charts and checking his own timetables. There was still so much that he needed to complete, so much more research.... tending to these "foot soldiers" seemed more procrastination at this point, but knowing that until he could make a proper move toward Canterlot he could not raise his magic too high. He worried as he stacked his scrolls that all the work he did on their new guest last night might have set off an alarm or two. No guards were circling the peaks, so he felt a little safer for the moment.

He needed to speak with his new guest before he started training with Hatchet. Night Ash had plenty of books to read to her and would be more interested in working in the afternoon. He had plenty of questions for the new arrival... which included why the doors to her room had been bucked off their hinges.

He glanced into the room, expecting it empty. Instead, the pegasus he had so carefully carried home was still in the process of destroying the room, despite not being in any hurry to leave it. She had managed to smash every piece of furniture not made of metal, and what didn't break ended up against, if not sunk into, the walls. She wheeled when she realized she had been watched and kicked a chair toward the entryway.

Umbral recoiled, barely avoiding the projectile as it slammed into the far wall. He tried entering the room again but this time was met with a charge. He braced, and the contact did not budge him this time. Furious, the pegasus backed up to charge again.

"You don't approve of the accommodations?" Umbral said simply. The pegasus actually hesitated. "I hope you realize nothing holds you here."

"Of course not," the pegasus spat, "but it's not like I can walk down the side of this pillar you call a castle! So what's it going to be this time, sorceror? Giving me another head? Turning me male? Tentacles instead of hooves?"

"I didn't bring you here to harm you...." Umbral attempted to explain.

"Whatever," she snapped, "That's what every horn-head tells me- hey look, zap!! she's got no mane! hey look, Zap~! now she really is the color of mud! hey look, zap!! now she's got bat wings!" She determinedly raised the damaged wing and actually bit it around the bone. "Maybe I'll actualy HAVE some luck and these stupid things could just fall off."

"And what does a pegasus do without its wings?" Umbral inquired.

"At least then maybe ponies would just leave me alone and let me get on with life."

"I didn't catch your name," Lapis attempted to change the subject.

"I think the only one you're allowed to say in front of anypony is 'Slurry'," she begrudgingly replied. "I’m nothing but a plaything for unicorns and a walking horrorshow for the rest."

"Slurry is not your real name?"

"It's the only one that sticks. Too many other names to count. My cutie mark's nothing but a gray blotch, so it looks like leftovers from a coal mine."

"So it's not a winter stormcloud? Or a cloud that swirls itself to a tornado?"

Slurry simply looked away.

"Regardless of your past, it will forever remain unchanged. Dwelling on it does nothing."

"Looking like this I don't see too much of a bright future."

"Then tell me of a future you'd seek."

Slurry looked Lapis up and down before responding. "You're not gonna twist it around on me, are you?"

"I'll do no such thing."

"Swear that you won't!"

"I swear on the very shadow of the moon that I will not harm you unless you force me."

Slurry again hesitated at the proclamation. She expected a much cornier oath. "Fine. Down the line I want to be back to my real colors and have actual pegasus wings. Maybe work freelance weather for some honcho. I just want to work and be normal, how hard a request is that?"

"Normal...." Lapis mused. "Wouldn't that be boring?"

"I'll take 'boring' over the 'excitement' I've been through," Slurry deadpanned.

"Understood. I would need time to figure out how to undo the enchantments, but for the promise that I can fix you, will you stay here?"

Slurry looked to her broken wing. "I said something earlier about not having a choice."

Lapis stepped forward. "Very well, a show of faith."

Slurry took a step back. "Don't touch me with that... that... "

Lapis stopped advancing and raised his head. "Very well."

His horn shimmered, as if it were encased in a gemstone. Slurry's damaged wing shimmered as well, bending against Slurry's will. She glowered at Lapis before realizing that the motion didn't hurt. In fact, the wing didn't hurt. Stranger still, the scars around the bone had faded. She gave the wing a test flap, then the other. Four wingbeats later and she nearly hit her head on the ceiling of the room.
She landed, unable to respond to this miracle.

"You're welcome," Lapis replied with little emotion. "Stay if you wish, but I will understand if you choose to leave." He turned toward the doorway. "If you stay, perhaps more little miracles like this can happen. Otherwise, you may leave at any time."

As he left, Slurry still could not respond. She marveled at her wings a moment, then settled down to consider her options......

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The long and short of a legend

"I'm tellin ya, Dusty, we shouldn't be here..."

"No one's been here in decades, Stoney, no one's gonna care now."

The whispered disagreement refused to echo in the decrepit stone halls of the abandoned castle. The facility had long fallen into disrepair; surely anything of value had already been pillaged. Walls had crumbled, windows open to nowhere, floor and walkway pocked with new growth defying the pony-made structure and finding light here and there to let them grow. Storms and snows fueled the weeds and molds that made the structure barely a memory, the half-destroyed statury crumbled out of recognition.

In the hollow halls rang two sets of hoofsteps - sharp strikes of a fully-grown earth stallion and the patter of his tiny brother as they explored the remains with morbid interest. "And we had t' come at night," The taller groused. "You a bat or somethin, Dusty? I can barely see a hoof in front o' my face."

"I can't jump that high or I'd show you," the smaller snapped and he trotted ahead. "I can see just fine. There's a moon out, you know."

"So we're walkin under the Mare of the Moon?" came the nervous inquiry.

"Stony, I swear you're scared of every shadow and rustle you hear."

"I'd be less scared if I knew what was causin shadows and rustles, Dusty..."

Despite the smaller's bravado, his voice rarely rose to normal volume as they continued to explore. "So what's so special about this place anyway?" The larger finally asked aloud.

"Something about royal treasure," The smaller replied as he nosed at a door. "This place was a temple or a castle to Celestia. Wonder why it was abandoned."

The taller pony turned to reply but spooked as the dilapidated door his brother poked at collapsed noisily. He reared and wheeled for the exit.

"Sandstone!" The smaller shouted after his brother as he galloped outside. He took a few steps to follow, stopped, and looked back to the entryway he had disturbed. He looked back and forth twice before shouting after his brother again. "I hope the Mare in the Moon saw that!! I hope she drops out of the sky right on the rocks in your head!!"

He could hear his brother still galloping. "Doubt he heard me," the smaller muttered before entering the room he disturbed.

The tiny blue earth zebra marveled as the entryway yawned wide into a grand hall, with a ceiling that barely remained to contain the stars and a waning moon. The moonlight added jagged shapes from the nearby overgrown gardens, as cracked fingers of branches and crooked remnants of walls left many bizarre shadows on the remaining room. The floor was mostly intact, save a couple of aggressive weeds and a few dangling bits of vines that had crawled through the windows and spread about the floor. The tiny pony tread carefully, hoping the plant life was all that lived in that chamber.

"STONY??" the little one called after his brother one last time before heading further into the room. His ear twitched in approval as he heard the heavy hoofbeats of his big brother returning, seemingly faster than when he left.

"DUSTMITE!!" Came the panicked reply. The smaller wheeled, only to be tripped over by the taller zebra, whose momentum sent him careening into the shadows and crashing into much less solid structure. Dustmite was staggered from the blow, but he fared much better than his brother who topped a nearby pillar.

"Sandstone, what the hay is wrong with you!??" the smaller zebra demanded of his brother as he shook the blur out of his vision.

"A moonshadow....." the larger zebra whimpered. "You cursed me, Dustmite - we might both be cursed....."

"'Cursed'? In this old ruin??" Dustmite skedaddled up to his big brother to try and pull him clear of the debris. "No... ugh... curses.... here.... ungh..."

Sandstone shook his little brother and most of the pillar off his back, "Well SOMEthing dark flew over me when I was ... leaving..."

"So some owl spooked you some more? Nice.... when the clouds clear we should be able to see what else is in this chamber."

As if responding to Dustmite's request, the clouds above parted, and the waning moon cast both its light and shadow to the chamber. The light brightened a far wall, which displayed two circular altars - both taller than Sandstone and several feet in diameter. The first altar appeared the more elaborate - two circular platfoms, crowned with a short pillar topped with a cracked, moldy, but still mostly spherical stone. Shooting out from the pillar were five haphazardly pointing arms, each topped with smaller rocks that had images carved into each one. Neither zebra could make sense of the sculpture and neither could reach up to look closer at the stones to see what they were or what they meant.

The second altar, while seemingly in similar disrepair, had chunks shorn away as the ceiling and walls behind it had collapsed. Dustmite approached the second one carefully, noting that the damage almost resembled stairs. He could see cracks in the base, but in the poor light he could make out carved shapes in the sides. Running a hoof over one of the forms, he guessed somepony important had been represented there.

"The Moonlight isn't enough," Dustmite grumbled. "I wanna know whose castle this was."

"So we should come back in the morning, right?" Sandstone asked a little too quickly.

"We're not coming back in the morning," Dustmite replied, irritated. "We need to find out more about this place before we get back on the road. Hoofington's still a few days out, and we've got business to tend to there as well."

New hoofsteps caught their ears. "Company...." Sandstone whispered.

"You know the drill," Dustmite whispered back. The larger zebra slipped between the taller altar and the far wall to hide as Dustmite dropped to a sitting position. He hoped "big brother" would remember how this works.....

The hoofsteps slowed as they neared the chamber. Dustmite tried to curl up a little tighter before their new visitor arrived. He wanted to look, but meeting the eyes of the newcomer might give something away.

"Hel-looooo....." came a soft voice from the hallway.

Durstmite dared a peek, but shut his eyes again when he heard Sandstone shuffling from his hiding place.

"Hel-looooo," the voice repeated as the figure finally emerged from the shadows. A filly, Dustmite's ears told him. Why would someone come here alone? Then again, who would come here at all? Dustmite didn't move.

"I know I heard someone in here," the sing-songy voice called again as it closed in. Dustmite dared another peek - this time he could see her, a pale yellow pegasus with a flowing pink mane, looking around in the nooks and crannies of the main chamber. "Come out, little one, I know you came this way....."

A cue if Dustmite ever heard one. He whimpered.

"Oh!" the pegasus filly was startled by the new sound. She wheeled, leaving the ground in one defensive motion. "w-who's there?" she whispered. Again Dustmite whimpered; she landed, walking in a slow circle before spotting the poor colt curled up at the base of one of the altars.

"Oh, my," she breathed as she hurried up to Dustmite. "Are you hurt? I didn't see you there…"

Dustmite opened one eye. "huh..? somepony there..?" he whispered, "I'm scared...."

"Of course you are," the pegasus reassured him, "this is a scary, scary place... I'm only here because I lost one of my animals in here."

"There's something else in here?" Dustmite panicked.

Sandstone took that as a cue and leapt from his hiding place. "RIGHT HERE!" He roared, stomping his hooves and gnashing his teeth.

The pegasus screamed and launched out of the ruin before Dustmite could even act "scared" with her. He looked up at Sandstone, who made another distorted face before the two fell head over hooves in laughter.

The two colts slowly regained their composure, though Sandstone would send his "little" brother into new fits of laughter with more mock-scary expressions or flopping his head about, making his eyes wobble and cross. Dustmite couldn't take any of it seriously, and Sandstone preferred this kind of laughter from little brother. He settled himself nearby as Dustmite rolled around on the floor, hooves twitching as he tried in vain to catch his breath from his hysterics.

Sandstone pushed up to all fours. "We need to get moving, little brother. You said we still have a couple days' travel to Hoofington..."

Dustmite took a moment to shake himself out. "Resting here wouldn't be bad, but we've got a lot of ground to cover."

"But then you wouldn't get your answers about the altar," a third voice casually opined.

Both colts responded.

"Probably wasn't important anyway," Dustmite replied off-hoofingly.

""We might be back this way in the daytime," Sandstone said with a shrug.

Then the two colts looked back at each other. "That wasn't you?"

The two then slowly turned toward the two altars. Their new visitor, apparently a black and gray unicorn, somehow balanced himself across the arms of the haphazard statue that adorned the first altar. His deep blue eyes had a faint glow to them, as if reflecting the moonlight pouring down from the waning crescent directly above. He regarded the two colts a moment before sliding down to the ground and standing before them, taller than Sandstone but not quite as broad.

Sandstone's magenta eyes widened in fear. "moonshadow..." he whispered.

"Who wha?" Dustmite countered. "Weird that we got another visitor in here. Thought this place was completely abandoned."

Sandstone trembled, speechless before the unicorn. The newcomer smiled faintly at this response- did this stallion truly know what was before him? No matter; the smaller one needed more convincing.

"I heard your laughter," the unicorn began, "And it pleases me that someone does not fear the night as so many others do. They whisper secrets and mumble prayers, fearful that the shadows could misinterpret their words. Tell me, are you pleased with your deed?"

"Yes!" was Dustmite's ready answer. "Oldest trick in the book!"

Sandstone couldn't get his mouth, much less his voice, to conjure an answer. The unicorn continued. "Rare do I hear a normal voice in the night, so I might have to reward this... hmm, how shall I do that...?"

"Don't kill us...." Sandstone stammered.

"'kill' you?" the unicorn snorted. "Not interested in such things. You seem clever enough, think of a better answer."

Sandstone took that almost as an order. "Can you teleport us to Hoofington?"

Dustmite bucked Sandstone in the knees. "Scaredyhorse."

Sandstone crumpled, but scrabbled back to a standing position. The unicorn nodded. "Have you a better answer, small one?"

Dustmite walked right up to him. "Do you know this place? What was it?"

The unicorn seated himself to meet Dustmite's sharp stare. "Long ago this place was a castle... believed to be a prior residence of Celestia and her sister."

"That's PRINCESS Celestia!" Dustmite corrected.

"*Ahem* yes, 'Princess' Celestia... but she was not alone."

Sandstone started to calm. "She had a boyfriend?"

"This place was an ancient castle dedicated to the 'Royal Pony sisters', I would assume it meant Celestia and her sister Luna..."

Dustmite almost asked a question, so the unicorn paused. When the little one decided not to ask, the unicorn continued.

"Few know that these royal pony sisters had brothers as well. You see, while the sisters moved the sun and moon, they had brothers that helped things along. One of the brothers - Aphelion- actually assisted in the transition of seasons and the rise and fall of tides by his fine-tuning of the moon's position. Another brother - Cepheid - did the same for the sun, making sure that the seasons remained constant.

"Then there were the 'assistants' to Celestia and Luna, Solaris and Umbral. Solaris shared in Celestia's duties of moving the sun, and their taking turns lessened their burden. Luna and Umbral, however, split their duties in different ways." The unicorn then looked up to the moon looking down. "Tonight, Luna isn't quite looking our way, she will in a few weeks' time. But her brother, who fills in the rest of the moon, leaves a dark 'slice' of said moon almost every night. One night each did Luna or Umbral work alone, but the rest of the time they shared in their duty."

"Never heard of em," Dustmite dismissed.

"And the mare in the moon - Nightmare Moon - she's always gonna be up there, right?" Sandstone shakily queried as his head lowered and his ears drooped.

"Were she to return, she might need some able-bodied and sharp-witted ponies such as you to help her regain a hoof-hold in this world."

"how do you know all this? You making this up?" Dustmite's doubts amused the unicorn.

"bet this unicorn's from some cult." Sandstone muttered as quietly as he could. But it was not quiet enough, for he was indeed heard.

"'cult'?" the unicorn repeated. Sandstone shrunk back. "CULT!?" the unicorn protested as he rose to his feet. He watched the stallion cover his head with his hooves. "What you call 'cults'," The unicorn insisted, "are nothing but herds who actually REMEMBER! They know that Celestia could not control sun, moon and seasons alone no matter how many books were written! She has no RIGHT to claim all this power and this balance must be restored!"

If Sandstone wasn't trembling so much he probably would have fled. Dustmite was scared too, but wasn't about to run yet. "And if she's so powerful that she can raise the moon on her own," Dustmite countered, "why would she need some scrub ponies like us?"

"I saw what you did to that pegasus," the unicorn answered. "Perhaps your size and your innocence could be tested in another location? And your brother... 'sandstone', was it? You need confidence to go with the strength you already have."

Sandstone stopped trembling at the revelation. "Strength?"

"You're physically strong," the unicorn observed, "we just need to toughen that resolve. And you, little one, what would it take for someone accused of running a 'cult' to convince you that your cunning is an asset to be properly utilized?"

"I don't think you're some cult leader," Dustmite replied, "but we do need jobs. And lotsa bits. And a roof over our heads."

Sandstone looked back and forth. "We don't know this pony from any other unicorn, Dusty, how do we know he can do that?"

The unicorn trotted from the altar and stared Sandstone square in the eye. "And what would it take for you to trust me?"

Sandstone gulped before he spoke. "Your.... your name?"

The unicorn stepped back, allowing the pale gray stallion to breathe some relief. "You may call me Lapis. And in our jouney back to my abode, I will explain everything. You will both have the option to walk away, but please hear all my words before you choose."

"We've got work waiting in Hoofington," Dustmite deliberately pondered aloud, "and we miss out on some money if we don't go."

Lapis levitated a pouch of bits to Dustmite. "Will this cover your time and trouble to miss out on that mission?"

Dustmite nosed open the pouch and made a quick count. "Sold."

Sandstone nosed around the bits himself. "We're your ponies, Mr. Lapis."

Lapis smiled faintly. "That was easy, now wasn't it? Come, we have much to discuss."

interlude

Interlude

Celestia and Luna had shared the early afternoon in quiet reflection of that horrible, horrible day. Thankful for the lack of disturbances, Luna finally opened her eyes. She had finally run out of tears for the loss of her brothers but could mourn no longer for them. Her grief had faded considerably, but now the questions were coming. As if sensing the incoming inquiries, Celestia too opened her eyes, and the gentlest of smiles crossed her face as she waited for Luna to gather her words.

"Sister," Luna finally began, "how have you managed to continue the duties the six of us performed after that day?"

Celestia slowly rose to all four hooves. "We had anticipated the day that we would be short-handed. Whether we chose to expand our empires or if conflict arose, we would have all of our information in place. Cepheid and Aphelion took extensive notes of how their duties were performed, as they had no backup. While I had Solaris and you had Umbral, we shared our information and combined it into several tomes.

"Thankfully, many citizens in other villages choose to assist when the seasons are changing as there is so little magic to go around. Towns founded by earth ponies get much of the work done for fall and spring, and since winter and summer blend so seamlessly into their preceding seasons, it is not a strain on our resources.

"The pegasus cities have made it their business to assist in weather for many locales, so we have much fewer duties overall. I raise the sun and moon, and use both to guide the tides and seasons. I will be thankful when we will have you resuming your duties with the moon."

"I.... I do look forward to it, but do the ponies even notice...."

"They do, and their assistance in making these seasons blossom and fade - having a hoof in such important matters - only reinforces our harmony. While they cannot move the sun and moon, they can help move the clouds for the sun to shine, they can aid the trees preparing for winter, they can clear their fields and sow their crops for all to prosper."

Luna pondered this as Celestia magically opened the door to another room. "I had your room prepared with some new decorations, sister. It was already designed to your wishes but I have added one thing to the bare west wall."

Curious, Luna carefully slid off her pillow and peeked through the door. While dark, the room itself had welcome hues of midnight blues and night-cloud grays, what little furniture glittered with silvery accents. A single south-facing window gave some of Celestia's charge a peek inside, catching an angled mirror and flickering into a framed stained-glass mosiac, much like the ones that colored the sunlight in the great hall. Luna trotted closer, fascinated by the angling light into the design and an accent of pearlescent light backlighting the image to Luna's delight.

The image was one she had demanded to see earlier - the centerpiece that once adorned the Great hall, an image of Discord, head lowered and eyes crazed, canopied under six pairs of wings. Her gaze traced over the brilliant colors, between the blazing whites of Celestia's and Solaris' wings to the glowing gold of Cepheid's to the twinkling blues and whites of Aphelion's. Hers and Umbral's blue-black wings framed the outside edges of their canopy, and each point punctuated with an actual gemstone instead of glass, highlighting each of their elements that ended the darkness and chaos that established the peace of their world. Luna spread her wings and hovered up closer to the amazing work, her horn reverently touching each stone to add a shimmer to each one. To Celestia's surprise, she did not hesitate for the fallen Cepheid or Aphelion, though her joy did slow as she tapped her amythyst and turned to the single opaque gem in the piece: a darkly mottled sphere of Lapis LAzuli.

Celestia anticipated Luna's answer to this opaque gem; could it be lit? She offered no advice or encouragement, merely letting her sister decide. Luna hovered there for several moments, not looking back to her sister and finally tapping the marbled gem with her horn.

She fluttered away from the mosaic before landing solemnly beside her. "I'm not to mourn for the past...."

"But we have a duty to our own Family, Luna... to never forget, but in time to forgive."

chapter 6-7

Chapter 6

Fanning a flame

Umbral spent a stretch of their journey not only explaining his interest in the brothers, but once he saw that the skittish Sandstone was finally comfortable, explained who he truly was. Dustmite's reaction surprised the alicorn - the already excitable colt launched into a frenzy of fresh ideas and thoughts, answering every patient question with a flurry of information and insights. Sandstone, however, grew quieter, perhaps worried that "little brother" would only incense the royalty they traveled along.

Despite the chatter, Umbral continued pondering his dilemma. These two colts would be invaluable as their worldly ways would be helpful in traveling the world to seek anyone else to his cause. His associates, worldly in their own ways, might not fulfill what he would need. Night Ash, while independent, would be too vulnerable; his two pegasi could cover a lot of ground, but neither had the "Pony skills" to formally recruit someone. Besides, he wasn't sure he could trust either of them. Another thought - would Slurry even BE there when he returned? Perhaps Night Ash could talk to her.

"So ya got these huge plans, sir? What can we do to help ya? Steal secrets? Kidnap ponies? draw ugly pictures on the walls? We'll do whatever ya need, really! Anything at all!"

Umbral glanced to the older brother, who didn't answer. "I would hope you both would be more interested in something a little less intrusive, actually."

"Awww...."Dustmite groused.

Sandstone began with a great deal of hesitation, "but how you talk - like you'd overthrow Princess Celestia? Why would you do that?"

"Perhaps a better example," Lapis offered. "What would you do if somepony took your little brother away from you? What would you do if given the chance to face that tormentor?"

Sandstone hesitated in their walk, glancing about. The other two stopped simply to watch.

"I don't think anypony could get little brother away from me, sir. But if somepony tried...."

Sandstone walked a slow circle til he spotted a small rock outcropping. His expression surprisingly steeled, and he locked his gaze with Lapis' as one hard buck shattered the rocks.

"Nopony hurts Dustmite," he said simply. "Little brother is safe with me."

Umbral responded with an approving smile. Sandstone visibly relaxed before rejoining them.

"See? We're a team!! We can do anything together! You want Princess Celestia overthrown? We're your ponies!"

"I expect no less, Dustmite. However, you will HAVE to trust me with any order I give you."

"Why wouldn't I?"

Sandstone had a guess to the next statement.

"If I asked that your duties separate you, would you do so?"

Sandstone didn't answer immediately.

"As long as we get back together in the end and it pays well!" Dustmite replied without hesitation.

"I hear a lot of 'if's in that statement. Perhaps you're not as dedicated as I need."

"You're asking to break up the team! You're taking away my ace in the hole!"

"I'd rather work with my brother, sir," Sandstone mumbled.

"You are brothers whose bond could never be broken - not by other ponies, not by distance, and certainly not by anything between the two of you. That I truly admire, as I have told you my troubles.

"I have others who are interested in my cause," Umbral brought the conversation back to the original subject. "Others who have faced hardships alone, are away from families, ones willing to sacrifice for the future of Equestria. I'm sure you two would also like to be a part of history."

"Sir," Sandstone interrupted gingerly, "If you overthrew Celestia... would you be taking over her duties?"

"I think I would be more than competent. And I never said I would do so alone."

Sandstone half-nodded, lost in the thoughts and possibilites. Umbral surmised that more convincing would be needed.

"Sandstone, as a stallion so strong, why is your resolve so weak?"

"Huh?"

"Is that a tremble in your voice? Why would someone who surely earned his mark with his tremendous strength act like it came from looking solid but crumbling under someone else's hooves?"

Dustmite objected with a hoof to Umbral. "Leave him alone!"

The black alicorn raised his struck hoof and planted it firmly on Dustmite's back. "I believe I was asking your brother a question."

"Ow ow ow ow! Sandstone doesn't have to answer a question like that!!"

Lapis opened his mouth to respond but was bucked away from Dustmite.

"Nopony.... hurts.... Dustmite." Sandstone repeated as he stood over his scrabbling little brother.

"Whatcha do that for?" Dustmite hissed. "you're gonna cost us work."

Umbral regained his footing and shook dirt out of his mane and wings. "I am unharmed, Dustmite."

The little one galloped to Umbral. "Boss, I'm sorry, he's like that when it comes t' me."

"I would hope that I would have such a strong stallion as a guard captain," Umbral replied mostly to Sandstone.

"Guard.... captain?" Sandstone incredulously pondered.

"Your presence, your strength, and with time, some resolve, I can see you leadning a contingent. Would that be an acceptable duty?"

Sandstone knelt before Umbral. "'m sorry."

"An apology I only accept if that power you weild defends me. As Guard Captain you will defend me as though I were your brother."

Dustmite felt left out of the conversation, and for once was speechless. He marveled at how that simple request got his big brother to pull himself to his full height and meet his new superior eye to eye. The gray zebra stallion's violet eyes held steady to umbral's midnight-blue gaze.

"yes, sir," came the steady reply.

Umbral nodded his approval.

"Oi, what about me????" Dustmite demanded.

"you, small one, are more befitting as a scout and a spy. Will that do?"

"Coooooooooooooooooooooooooool......"

Umbral noted that Dustmite's exclamation not only came from the opportunity, but from a shimmer of lights ahead.

"Manehatten," Sandstone breathed.

"We could rest there for a day - you got bits for a good stable, boss? We can rest up and get some awesome food...."

Umbral really wasn't listening. He hated the larger settlements like Manehatten and Fillydelphia, where all their lanterns and enterprise took away the visual impact of Luna's nightly tapestry. While he appreciated that Manehatten was a city that boasted it never slept, it rarely looked to the natural lights brought on by Luna's prison or all the stars that surrounded it. He sighed; They had been traveling through most of the night and there was still another day's journey to his fortress, especially if they had to skirt the city. Umbral himself had taken a shortcut over the enormous lake to get to the abandoned castle, and with his new charges unable to fly there would be even greater delays to getting home.

He glanced back to his two charges. "Do you require rest? I apparently have not been traveling as far or as wide as you."

Sandstone didn't respond verbally; his short purple mane drooped a bit, as did his shimmering purple eyes. Dustmite looked back and forth, not wanting to look weak before his new honcho but his view glanced up to Umbral, tacitly backing his older brother's fatigue. With a slow nod, Lapis steered toward the lights. "I make a single request of both of you," he said as his horn flickered, "my true name or nature is not to be spoken within the confines of the city. My mission is not public, and your employment is not, either. We are merely passing though."

The two stallions agreed. "Thank you. On to this.... 'Manehatten'."

The sun was already up by the time the trio had entered Manehatten proper, Dustmite skittering just a bit ahead of Lapis and Sandstone. Lapis was looking forward to a room - not for rest, just to get away from the noise of this "city"! So many ponies living close together, yet they talked louder, angrier. Words were the weapons of these ponies, as were many disapproving stares to the two zebras and the strange mottled unicorn walking with them. Umbral heard their disgusted whispers at the strangers in town, and had trouble ignoring some of the running commentary of others who did not make their words secret. Dustmite responded in kind, but Sandstone's head only continued to lower. It made the disguised alicorn very uncomfortable, and frustrated that he could not exercise any Royal Privilege over these arrogant foals. He contemplated dropping a horrendous thunderstorm on the city, but again reined himself back in at the possibility of his magic being "felt" elsewhere.

Umbral would periodically be distracted by Dustmite's antics as he bounded ahead. The smaller one apparently already understood how the city "works" - he kept the other ponies clear of his brother and his new boss, usually with harsh words or an occasionally well-placed hoof. Lapis also noted that the little one's physicality was its own reward- something would be knocked loose during the interactions, usually an item of value or some bits from a damaged saddlebag. Dustmite would then quickly scuff the items out of the main thoroughfare of the sidewalk and gather them for his own small saddlebags. He then would trot proudly back to Lapis and Sandstone, the former watching in fascination while the latter simply acknowledging his prowess. The funds were pooled to cover a room at the Walledhoof Astablea in downtown Manehatten, giving the three plenty of room to rest and recharge.

Umbral was thankful for the room - spacious and well-appointed, much like a room in Canterlot castle. Servants could be contacted to bring food or sundries, and the beds and cushions were soft and properly prepared. Most importantly for the alicorn, it was private - and much quieter than the din he walked through all morning. While the two zebras slept, Umbral paced in his room, still pondering his main project - the Star Compass. While he did not have his notes, he had access to paper and a quill (provided by the hotel) so he began detailing his thoughts. The Compass itself was more of a magical construct, but would need the guidance of four ponies. He recited their duties to himself, almost as the notes were an incantation in their own right:

"Star of North is the Lantern, one who guides the way;
Stars of East and West as Shields blocking out the coming day;
And the Star of south the Weapon to keep the others at bay."

He re-read the note multiple times, already aware of his role as the Lantern. He had deliberately chose his location for the concentrations of darker materials such as hematite, Obsidian and onyx. He had access to nearby volcanoes for standard forging; That reminded him to construct and enchant a proper frostforge to meld new cold iron barding for himself. He just needed more resources - more iron and silver needed gathering for weaponry and armor. He jotted those notes down as well, shaking his head as his "to-do" list continued to lengthen.

Umbral pulled the curtains closed to his window. He considered rest but his mind continued to cascade questions and ideas. He had less than a year until the Millenial Summer Sun celebration and so much had be in place as yet. He still needed to gather materials for armor and weaponry, as well as complete all the forging. He had rituals to research and activate the purpose of the Star Compass. He had many spells to cast on the arsenal once it was forged, as well as some enchantments to be granted to his new charges. All this to be completed in the coming months, and somehow achieving all of it out of the watchful eyes of Celestia or any of her complement. With luck and proper persuasion, his new charges may be able to speed up some of the processes. Satisfied, He ended his list with 'perpetual storms over Manehatten" before settling down for a nap of his own.

Though his eyes closed to the world, his mind continued to swirl - first with the checklist, then into a vision... or a dream....?

He was standing in the Grand Hall of Canterlot Castle, three others with him he did not recognize. Before him stood Princess Celestia, her expression a mix of fear, surprise and anger at the sight of her long-lost brother. Her horn glimmering in the start of a spell, stopped by a clap of thunder and an explosion of dark energy, wrapping around her like a hungry serpent. Umbral loomed over his sister, glowering down and locking stares. Her gaze amused him. He chuckled. The chuckle bloomed to a guffaw, then erupted in the most triumphant of laughter, echoing in the halls and scattering what few guards chose to stay. The room glowed a mystical blue as Umbral reared in delight, magic erupting and shattering all the stained-glass windows, arcing to the heavens and erecting a path of moonlight for his incarcerated sister to return home.... Celestia's eyes slowly closing in defeat as the laughter was doubled by Nightmare Moon at his side, echoing the joy of her freedom and her final steps toward the throne. The two alicorns stepped over their fallen sister, eager to take their seats and lock the moon in place until all bowed before them.....

"Master Lapis?"

The alicorn remained lost in his dream. "Kneel and address me, peasant."

"Master Lapis," Sandstone repeated. "we've been asked to evacuate the hotel."

Umbral did not understand the order. "This is our castle, Captain. Who dares tell us to evacuate?"

"The Manehatten Fire department, sir."

Umbral snapped awake, disoriented. "What? Where??" His wide-eyed gaze fell on Sandstone. "Evacuate..." he repeated as though hearing the word for the first time.

"There was a fire in the basement," Sandstone explained. "Dustmite said he would catch up with us but we have to leave."

Umbral stood and shook out his mane and wings. "Very well," he grumbled.

At street level of the Astablea, the typical city noise had escalated with the scrambling of Palaminos trying to get water into the lower basement levels of the lavish hotel. Disgruntled guests had to be continuously corralled to the other side of the street while they watched, protesting that they had been disturbed from whatever activities for the sake of their lives being saved in case the fire did manage to creep to the main floors. Thankfully the blaze would be contained; Manhatten's fire marshall Yellow Scorch was exploring the perimeter, trying to determine the source of the fire.

He already had a guess it was deliberately set, but needed more proof. Standing by one of the broken windows, his horn flickered as it detected the heat inside the basement, but the area hadn't cooled off enough for him to pinpoint the source. He continued to concentrate to search for anyone who might be trapped down there, but the interference continued to cloud his efforts.

A perfect distraction as a colt skittered behind him and down the stairs.

Dustmite would have bet his weight in bits the fire wasn't an accident - not enough of the right stuff down there to start one. He snuck about the storage areas, noting how everything was soaked through from the deluge. He heard some of the firefighters still exploring and checking out hot spots, so he tread carefully. At worst, he could fake that he was poking around before the fire started and couldn't get out.....

His thoughts stopped abruptly as another pony's leg swept in front of him and dragged him behind a burlap curtain. He didn't get a second to protest as another hoof planted firmly over his mouth. "shhhhh...."

Dustmite blinked a couple of times before a twinge of light came from a unicorn's horn. Dustmite couldn't protest any further at his captor- probably the second tallest unicorn he'd ever seen, second only to his new employer. Her silver eyes flicked about in panic as the voices closed in on their position, her red and gold mane unkempt and cascading down her back like a fiery waterfall. She was also soaked from the firefighters' work but she had somehow made sure she wasn't seen. Her worried glance down to the little one asked him a dozen questions at once, which could only be replied by similar sidelong glances. They could only huddle and wait, hoping the crew would miss them entirely.

Orders shouted from the top of the stairs negated their immediate escape. Dustmite wasn't sure he could sneak this unicorn past the crews and possibly back into the hotel. He needed a plan, and fast.... he wished he could contact Sandstone or "Boss" so that he could get their help to get her out....

Umbral and Sandstone stood across the street from the hotel, Sandstone looking worried and Umbral angry. He didn't mind being disturbed as much as being ordered around - staff telling him (albeit politely) to leave the building and stand in a specific place until they choose to let him back in. He'd purposely dallied in packing because he had no intention to return; he would like to get back on the road but had no idea where Dustmite ran off to. He could no longer afford to waste time watching what looked like nothing happening.

"Where is your brother?" Lapis curtly asked Sandstone.

"Dunno, but he'll find us," came the quiet reply.

"This is costing us travel time," the disguised alicorn groused.

Sandstone shuffled his hooves uncomfortably. "He'll find us," Sandstone repeated.

"I will find him faster," Lapis determined as he whipped his head toward Sandstone's, striking him with the flat of his horn.

"Ow~!" Sandstone stumbled back, thankful it wasn't the point of his horn that landed. He shook his head clear and marched up to his employer, violet eyes stern. "How's that gonna help me find him?"

"Appreciate your new gift," Umbral replied evenly. "Think of your brother, and maybe we can continue our journey instead of dallying here."

Sandstone blinked a few times, trying to comprehend the order. "Well?" Umbral asked sharply. "Think of your brother. Think TO your brother, if it helps."

Sandstone glanced back at the hotel, mind spinning a bit. Think "to" his brother? He stared at the structure, wondering if Dustmite was still in there.

"You're brothers, are you not??" Umbral continued. "See if that bond you bragged about earlier is a true one."

Sandstone closed his eyes this time, letting his thoughts settle.

~~Dustmite~~

The word carefully formed in his head.

Dustmite suddenly whipped his head around, his short gray mane flapping. His companion tried to make him sit still but he shushed her first. "My brother's nearby," he whispered.

"your... brother?" came her gentle query.

"He can get us out of here," he replied with quiet effort. He heard his name again; and it was so close....

~~Dustmite,~~ came the third inquiry, ~~I think I'm in your head~~

"my HEAD~!?!" Dustmite protested. The unicorn's eyes widened in panic as other ears picked up his statement.

~~come outside, boss is ready to leave~~

"I can't leave!" Dustmite replied out loud. The other voices were closing.

The unicorn couldn't silence her small companion, so she chose to act. Flinging the burlap curtain aside, she faced several of the Palomino team, who stopped in their tracks at her sight. She cast once with her horn, and a brilliant flash blinded the crew long enough for her to gallop up the stairs and back outside, nearly trampling Yellow Scorch in the process. The fire marshall protested but couldn't stop her as she bounded across the street in a panic. Guests scattered at the sight of the wild-maned mare, both from her speed and the sight of a mottled red and gold unicorn with a zebra on her back.

"Wait~! Whoa~!! Stop~!!" Dustmite pleaded. "SANDSTONE HELP ME STOP THIS CRAZY PONY!"

Sandstone and Lapis galloped after them, followed by half the Manehatten fire department.

Yellow scorch, meanwhile, got back to his hooves and stomped over to one of the guards that had been maintaining the crowd control. "Did you see that??" He demanded.

"Yeah," the guard replied casually, "looked like a unicorn with a zebra on her back. Some sight, huh? She had nice legs and a nice--"

"Bucking horseapples," Scorch snorted. "I'll have to report this, too...."

Sandstone and Lapis tried to chase Dustmite and the other unicorn down; Lapis was gaining with each stride, but Sandstone wasn't really built for endurance running. The disguised alicorn sensed this and realized his next step would leave him no choice.

He had to get them out of the city - and the sooner the better. He wanted to keep his low profile but if they were caught who knows what would be discovered. His horn shimmered to life, gathering Sandstone and trapping the other unicorn with Dustmite in tow. Maintaining his concentration despite the load of three ponies in his telekinetic grasp, he hoped he wouldn't be sensed for his next act.....

He heard the Fire department palominos gaining, Sandstone still frantically catching his breath. He could see the unicorn ahead of her starting to panic that she wasn't in control of her movements. He couldn't wait another moment - and teleported away.

The crowd chasing them all skidded to a stop, shocked at how much magic that would have taken to send four ponies away that quickly - and while in stride. That alone would have to go back to their boss.

The four of them materialized at the base of his fortress, where they all collapsed in relief. Umbral cursed himself for teleporting so far; that, the exertion from running, and the collective worry of the group left them all drained. He struggled back to his feet and quickly glanced about. Thankful for his isolation, he turned to the newcomer who still had not risen to all four hooves.

The unicorn mare was a marbled mess of reds and golds, her mane a cloud covering her entire face for the moment. While she caught her breath, his gaze drifted to her flank, noting a deep red star emblazoned there. He pondered.... a star? a sun? He took a step back, head clouding a moment. A memory of his sister Celestia flickered through his mind. He angrily dismissed the thought as the mare gazed up to him, her eyes crystalline but the color of purest silver. "Where...." she tried to ask, but her expression froze under the same mezmerized surprise of her captor.

Umbral was completely unprepared for his own reaction - his frozen heart cracked under her fascinations, his breath lost as if he had run another dozen miles. The silver orbs had captured him, and he unable to resist. Slowly and deliberately he knelt to her, their horns touching gently. "Milady, you are safe," he managed, nervous as a new guard before the ruling Family.

She relaxed, returning the gesture. "I had feared for my life in that noisy place," she whispered. "I was lost there, and so cold...."

"Never again," he replied. "You will be safe here, with us."

"Us?" she blinked, the moment sadly lost. Sandstone and Dustmite were watching nearby, Sandstone smiling dreamily while Dustmite made disgusted faces. She brightened and quickly stood, nearly impaling Lapis with her horn. "So you are together, then?" her expression softened as she spotted the dark blue colt. "You were the one with a voice in your mind, scaring us out of the building," She glanced back at Lapis. "Friends of yours, then?"

"Allies," LApis blurted out. "I'm gathering allies for a very important event. I would hope you would join us..."

She wheeled back in his direction. "You saved me from that awful city, it would be my honor." She knelt before Lapis. "I am Desert Sun, a mage of fire and light."

His horn once again crossed hers. "No, Desert Sun... do not kneel before me."

"You're an alicorn, like Celestia, so you must be royalty."

Lapis' wings flopped from his shoulders in bewilderment. He had dropped his disguise in front of her? Embarrassed, he quickly re-folded them. "Ahem... I am. I will explain everything once we're inside. How much can you levitate with your horn? I fear I'm still worn from the journey."

Back in Manehatten, Yellow Scorch was hastily writing up several reports - about the fire, about the trespassers, about the fugitives. One of the Manehatten guard captains had arrived for his copies of the investigations, only making the marshall more disgruntled. "Whoever they were, they were fast, and the black unicorn had some strong magic," he explained as his horn continued to drive the quill across the paper. "I've not seen the like of any of them. We're not detectives, so I think this would be more your jurisdiction."

The guard captain nodded as the scroll was "handed" to him. "If there's a way to get an update on this I'd like to hear it," Scorch continued. "but magic on that level is extremely rare in Manehatten."

The guardcaptain agreed as he put the scroll in his saddlebag. "We'll do our best. The descriptions aren't very clear, but you said two of them were zebras? And the other two were-"

"Mottled. The old term for it is 'piebald'. But the male unicorn was mostly black."

"Cutie marks?"

""Nopony could make out the zebras' marks," Scorch recalled. "they said the mare had a star or sun or something like for her, and moons on the stallion. It's all in the report."

With a nod the guardcaptain trotted crisply out of the office.

Chapter 7

The Gathering Storm

Lapis awoke the next day to his fortress - and the entire valley - encased in thick fog. "Hatchet and Slurry have been busy," he mused as a rumble of thunder answered him. The smile broadened; this bit of "Security" would continue to shield them from detection while he continued to put his plans into motion.

Desert Sun was already awake and studying with Night Ash; the two had become friends almost immediately, discussing magic and their travels. Slurry, when she was inside the fortress, would occasionally listen in, but kept to herself otherwise. She still had not left, and her flight speed was increasing by the day. The brothers had been exploring the facility every day, pestering Lapis with questions. Today, he decided, he would answer everything.

"GATHER TO ME, ALL WHO RESIDE HERE!" he thundered in the Royal Voice. "TODAY THE FUTURE BEGINS!"

Within minutes, the seven of them met up in the Librem Noctem, each curious to their new employer's grand announcement. Each stood at attention save Hatchet, who hovered behind the rest. All focused on the black alicorn before them.

"I have asked you all to work with me, perhaps too cryptically, about a very important project regarding my family," the alicorn began. "Many of you are aware of the legends of the Mare in the Moon, and of her banishment. What some of you do NOT know is that the entire story is no longer told.

"Your 'gracious' Princess Celestia hides so many things from the population, claiming that it would disrupt the Harmony she so strongly values. I feel otherwise; these legends deify her and disregard the truth. The Princess has not lied to anypony, of course, but she does not tell the entire tale. Indeed, the Elements of Harmony had the power to banish another alicorn to the moon, but Celestia did not do so alone. Nor did Nightmare Moon- Princess Luna - fight alone.

"I ask of you all a great deal - as we will soon celebrate the millenial Summer Sun Celebration, the day that the Mare in the Moon can come home. This legend, lost among the scrolls and books of the Canterlot library, reads of the day when the Stars aid in her escape. You are part of this prophecy - you are instruments of change and restoration to a Balance that Equestria truly needs.

"You will be soldiers and sorceresses that will prepare for this day! With your aid, we will have arms and armor for others who join our cause! With your aid, we will guide Princess Luna home and back to her rightful place!"

He paced slowly before them, gauging their reactions. "From here, I expect you to remain at my side with new duties once we have achieved this goal. There will be no turning back, no turning away. If you do not feel you are suited for this mission, I will not stop you from leaving. I merely request that should you leave, please speak to me first."

Facing them, he lowered his head. "Despite my heritage, I know this is a feat I cannot accomplish alone. Again, you have the choice to stay or go, but this will be the only time I offer this."

The other six murmured amongst themselves, looking to each other. Lapis waited quietly, fearing they would all walk away despite his generosities.

He was shocked when Slurry spoke first. "I will stay," she said simply.

"I have learned much under you, milord," Night Ash beamed, "I have no reason to leave."

"Your hospitality and knowledge are payment enough," Desert Sun added. "I will not leave your side."

"We're in," Dustmite answered for himself and his brother. Sandstone nodded but didn't speak.

"I ain't goin nowhere," Hatchet added with a devious grin. "Best gig I ever had!"

Relieved, Lapis continued. "Very well. I reward loyalty such as this. Slurry, since you spoke first...."

"I don't require anything," she interrupted.

"As you wish... but should you think of something, do not hesitate to ask. You have my gratitude for the splendid weather you and Hatchet brought to the valley."

Slurry nodded. Satisfied, Lapis turned to Night Ash next. "I hope you understand my need for keeping my 'true nature' away from you until recently."

"I understand," she replied, "but I hope that you're not hiding anything else from one who cannot see."

"I cannot open your eyes," Lapis admitted, "but I can make the world a little clearer to your remaining senses." He stepped up to her and touched horns briefly. She shivered, then gasped as the room fell into place for her senses to understand.

She could smell the age of the books and scrolls. She could "hear" where the hallway began and where the furniture stood. Her hooves told her about the ground beneath her feet, and she felt how close her compatriots stood near her. Her head snapped forward, and now the "Shape" of her new master hovered before her. She sunk down to the floor, overwhelmed by what her senses told her of what was around her. She had no words for Lapis, merely a tear of gratitude that caught what little light remained in the room.

"No tears," Lapis reminded her. "you have proven a strong student, and you miss so much when you cannot see the world as we do. This is as close as I can give you."

She still could not respond, but her expression brightened as she stood again and walked around the room. Desert Sun's expression was equally joyous as she watched her new friend explore.

"Me next!" Hatchet demanded, landing between Lapis and the others.

"Is that a demand?" Lapis asked, somewhat amused and annoyed.

"I got your digs in the fog and put up storms that no pegasus would try to fly through, that should be worth somethin."

"Indeed. But your work is by no means done. Does your mark also suggest you know weapons forging?"

Hatchet's wings snapped open, showing off the steel wingblades mounted there. "You noticed? Made em myself."

Lapis levitated a wrapped bundle to Hatchet. "Can your skills match these? And may I ask your abilities with armor?"

Hatchet let the package rest on the floor so he could peel the wrappings back himself. His blood-red eyes locked on the gift- silvered wing-blades, serrated with cold iron. The outside edges were segmented in several places, ensuring his full range of motion when flying while wearing the weapons. "These.... these are SICK! These could cut a unicorn's horn in one pass! These'll cut through everything but gemstones and plate!"

"These will cut through any threat you face, soldier," Lapis finished for him. "Are they 'sick' enough for you?"

Hatchet's grin only bent more sinister. "Oh yeah, I could really hurt somepony with these....and you want weapons and armor like this?? Yeah, you got facilities and the stuff for it, I'll make whatever ya need."

"I presume 'sick' is a good thing?" Lapis queried.

"It's a City term," Dustmite chimed in. "It's a REALLY good thing."

"Which reminds me, I needed to finish something from our misadventure in Manehatten." Lapis walked around Hatchet and tapped Dustmite once with his horn. "I had gifted Sandstone with an ability known only as Voice of the Mind. Now you two can communicate no matter the distance. In your minds, the voice is as clear as though you stood side by side. Now those words no longer need to be spoken."

Dustmite glanced up at Sandstone. "So that's how I heard you....."

Sandstone nodded. "Master Lapis gave me the same. Just a little harder, though."

"to get through the rocks in yer head!" Dustmite joked.

Sandstone then locked eyes with his brother. ~~The rocks in my head still work~~

Dustmite grinned. ~~And they echo, too!~~

The others watched as the two earth zebras got lost in their own conversation. Lapis called attention next to Desert Sun. "Your dedication to me and my cause is a great gift. Reciprocation is indeed in order."

He took a step toward her and touched horns. "Your fire will need to glow bright in the forges to create what we will need. We will need coal for these fires, and heat to mold the metals we will bring here."

Her eyes closed as she felt a warming sensation slide down from her horn to her shoulders and down her back. She did not speak, simply taking in the gift before meeting eyes with Lapis again. "You are most generous," she whispered.

"I would hope that my gifts are welcome to all of you. To that, all these gifts will be useful in the next part of our mission." He turned to the brothers. "Dustmite, you will pack saddlebags for a trip to Canterlot."

"CANTERLOT!!?" the little one boggled. "They won't take earth ponies there - much less a zebra!"

"Your alibi will be sound. Slurry will take you to a small train station where you will be boarding for a research trip to the Canterlot Archives. Your report is on Alicorn history, and you need to research things at the source."

"Princess Celestia can read minds too, ya know!! She'll figure me out for what I'm doing..."

"Simply do not interact with her. That part will be simple, as she will likely be occupied with many other duties. Keep your ears peeled for anything related to the name 'Luna' but keep your queries vague. I will be able to 'hear' you while you are there, but we must keep our interactions to a minimum."

"Yessir. What about Sandstone?"

"He and Hatchet will remain here for mining duties. Night Ash and Desert Sun will take turns with research and refinement of what is brought back from the mines. Slurry, would you be able to assist in moving the materials from the mining areas back into the fortress once you've dropped Dustmite off?"

She nodded. "Did you need me to help with the mining?"

"I will likely be keeping you busy moving materials and maintaining the fog/storm over this area. The rumble of thunder will hide the din of our activity."

"Understood."

"Now, everypony," Lapis proclaimed with the faintest of smiles, "We begin our task to restore balance to Equestria. Savor this moment, remember this day - remember it for as long as you live. I shall not forget it."

Canterlot castle was not only a place for royalty; in recent years, Princess Celestia opened a school for talented unicorns to train in magic, as well as an academy for all types of ponies for militia training. She prided herself in her many students, tracing back over a century to the likes of StarSwirl the Bearded. Her students would learn to maximize their talents and then choose to take their abilities to other cities, or are welcomed to remain in Canterlot proper to train the next generation. She had so many hopefuls in her current class...

She hesitated that particular morning to an empty desk. "Has anyone seen Morning Star?" she inquired to the class.

The others all looked to each other, having no answer. This wasn't the first time Morning Star had not shown up for classes, or arrived late. No excuses were ever offered; the white unicorn would trot quietly to her seat in the back of the classroom and appear bored. Celestia wondered what troubled the filly so much; her eyes wandered about the class, to the many other unicorns who had been brought in....

She had seen similar behavior in Aurora, who absently drew pictures on her scroll during most lessons. Aurora was a little more outspoken to her troubles, claiming that Celestia had shifted her focus too much on others, but even in her young arrogance refused to name names. Celestia had her own suspicions on this, but kept them to herself.

Her gaze softened only slightly to Twilight Sparkle, who was continuing to eagerly flip through yet another book from the library. Celestia had almost given up on trying to take books from the purple unicorn; she was still insatiable for knowledge and would send her "assistant" - baby dragon Spike - to get her another book the moment she finished. Perhaps Twilight was the one causing such negative reactions, but dampening enthusiasm is not part of Celestia's curriculum. She can only teach, and hope that others are willing to learn.

Her thoughts interrupted once more as a white unicorn took her seat. She didn't even look to the front of the classroom; instead, she had brought her own scrolls to read without taking notes as the lesson began. Celestia wanted to speak to Morning Star and Aurora before their interest in school completely waned. It would have to wait until after today's lesson.

Elsewhere in the castle could be heard the rigors of practiced combat. Celestia's guard complement was by no means a decorative group; under the trainings of Gallant Lionheart (Unicorn battalion), Silver Bardiche (Earth pony battalion), and Thunder Arrow (Pegasus battalion), the troops functioned as a three-tiered machine with the singular goal of protecting Canterlot and its ruler. Each captain kept the rigors of combat safe (Thunder Arrow less so) as their training is mere preparation and certainly not a "live" drill. The three captains shared one enormous courtyard where hooves met flanks, horns aimed true and wings swept wide.

Despite the harmony of this militia, there were always a few dust-ups that the captains would quickly separate. Today was no different, as Thunder Arrow had to shoo two of his more eager soldiers away from one of the newcomer unicorns. Lionheart was not pleased with the hazing of the two pegasi, but only offerd a stern look to Arrow as he pushed the two others back.

Thunder Arrow had to keep a closer eye on Violet Force and Silver shimmer. The brother and sister were amazing flyers and were more than capable of handling weather systems for Canterlot Castle on their own. Sadly, the duo knew how good they were; Arrow shook his head again as he admonished them on their actions.

"We're breaking the new guy in," Violet Force smirked. "Lionheart's too gentle with the rest of his horn-heads."

"That's not your duty," Arrow replied sternly. "While you may have held higher posts in the distant past - don't think I didn't know this - you do not usurp the authority of the other captains. Do not roll your eyes at me, Silver, you two force me to repeat this speech at least once a month."

Silver shimmer simply shook out her mane and arced a wing to the unicorn faction. "And that unicorn's gonna protect Celestia? maybe some of that horn-bone could be donated to his backbone."

"I think another week of cloud-clearing will be in your future." The duo groaned. "You BOTH know better," Arrow continued. "And I can find even more mind- and wing-numbing duties for you if you're insisting on keeping this up."

The captain walked away to attend to another soldier. The brother and sister looked to each other.

"This wouldn't happen if-" Violet whispered to his sister.

Silver shimmer shushed him. "No. Not now. We'll talk tonight."

Chapter 8-11

Chapter 8
A scattering of ponies

Dustmite trotted quickly from the train dropping him off just outside of Canterlot. His saddlebags, dotted with logos from Night Ash's home village, looked brand new on his back and were loaded with assorted books and plenty of blank scrolls. He looked like a student, and he felt even smaller than his stature before the grandeur.

Canterlot didn't have the noise or bustle of Manehatten, but had the air of magic and affluence. Almost every building glowed in the afternoon sun, sparkling with their own energies and radiating their majesty. Any building that wasn't white was a pale shade of gold, blue or pink, and infused with that same glimmer as if all the stone had been touched with unicorn horns. Every window and door opened to the sunlight, and a faintly musical breeze wafted around the town like a curious visitor. Not a cloud in the sky, but the sun not scorching the area below - a magically perfect day in a magically complete city. Such mystique had the little zebra frozen in place for a moment as the towers towered and the buildings glistened, all reaching toward the afternoon sun. Dustmite "sent" the image back to his big brother, wishing he was standing there with him.

~~It's brighter there than I thought it would be,~~ Sandstone sent back. ~~good luck~~

Dustmite smiled to himself. His brother's voice sounded just over his shoulder even if he was a hundred miles away. Confidence restored, he followed the walkway into town and toward the Canterlot library, hoping that his errand wouldn't keep him here more than a day or two.

His demeanor dropped a little when he saw all the stares. Unicorns, mostly - many dressed in the finery afforded by Canterlot's artisans, pausing to glance at the naked and solitary colt. Many of the denizens of Canterlot had never seen a zebra before, and one so small traveling alone? They noted his saddlebags, unable to understand the logos and symbols peppering the burlap bags. From here, it seemed all curiosity ended; this colt was poor, probably a stowaway on the train, and will be shooed out of Canterlot soon enough. The locals' stares lasted moments, until their self-worth and schedules dictated that this little creature was not of their business, and something so small well past their notice.

The initial stares intimidated Dustmite, but as each unicorn walked away, his hopes rose. Could his boss have been correct? All of these unicorns, living a rich and sheltered life in a city that's known nothing but peace for a millenium, would be so self-absorbed that the sight of a zebra in their midst would keep them from batting an eye? He expected a hundred questions or at least one Royal Guard shaking him down. Maybe it was his expectations from going through Manehatten and Baltimare so many times and getting more than just stares. Here, not a word spoken to him. He caught the occasional whisper of curiousity between couples but he was otherwise left to his own devices. Reassured by his boss' correct prediction, he trotted off to the Canterlot library, thankful that the only time he might have to speak of his reasons for being in town will be to anyone there.

~~Everything ok?~~ Sandstone queried.

~~So far, so good,~~ Dustmite sent back, ~~boss was right - they're looking but they're not saying anything to me. How about your end?~~

~~Slurry just got back,~~ Sandstone explained. ~~she's hauling back stuff from the mines that Boss carved out around the tower. They got me bucking at the rocks to find stuff, and Night Ash is doin the same by blasting em with her horn. Desert Sun and Hatchet are workin with the stuff slurry sends back. Can't wait to see what we'll get for it all~~

~~Looks like boss' plan is gonna go real smooth,~~ Dustmite replied smugly.

~~just be careful, little brother - can't protect you from here~~

~~I know,~~ Dustmite resigned, ~~but this time I think I'm ok--- ack!~~

Dustmite's thoughts stopped abruptly when he spotted a Royal Guard heading his way. Trying not to panic or bolt, he walked himself around a corner and behind some decorative bushes outside another building. He hunkered down into the bushes and watched the guard pause, shake out his mane and wings, then continue his errand. The little one noted the guard had a saddlebag full of scrolls... and one had fallen from his saddlebag.

The colt trotted up to the scroll and carefully gathered it in his mouth. Tossing it quickly into his saddlebag, he decided he'd read it later.... after he got to the library for his research.

Slurry swooped down to the entrance of the mines that Sandstone and Night Ash had been excavating. She had two empty buckets slung over her shoulders, ready to be refilled with whatever the two zebras were able to rummage out of the darkness. She didn't mind the loads or the time spent; it was work, plain and simple. She appreciated Lapis' understanding and distance while she took care of business.

Her arrival was perfectly timed - two carts emerged from the mine, one brimming with iron ore and another a mix of black and gray gems. Night Ash's "Sandblasting" of areas made it easier for Sandstone to target his kicks to loosen ore and gems from their hiding places. Night Ash remained in the mines, clearing out spaces while Sandstone hauled the carts outside.

Slurry landed solidly before him, ready to have the carts pour their bounty away to be returned to the fortress. She saw that Sandstone was covered in grayish-black dust and soot from the excavations, giving his purplish-gray coat a more sinister shade. She decided not to comment as she positioned herself for Sandstone to tip the carts.

Sandstone shrugged off the cart harness and trotted to the other side of the cart. "Mind if I ask you somethin, Slurry?"

The she-pegasus blinked. "What?"

"Just wonderin.... why?"

"Why, what?" she responded with mild irritation.

"I heard you talkin the other day," Sandstone explained, "you just want a plain ol life but you're workin for an alicorn?"

"I've had enough excitement for an entire village," came her flat reply. "I've met too many unicorn 'sorcerors' who experimented on me for their amusement."

"You make it sound bad," he shrugged as he braced himself to the back of the cart to tip it up. "Little Brother and I have been all over Equestria, never run into any sorcerors."

"Those 'sorcerors' are big shots in small villages who have their towns under their hooves. Same thing happens every time - I'd go to that village looking for work, I'd be directed to the 'mayor', who'd then take one look at me and decide I'm some naiive little plaything...."

"You're not all that little," Sandstone grunted as the cart tipped, pouring chunks of iron ore into one bucket. "Did a sorceror do that to ya?"

Slurry didn't respond right away. "you look ok to me," Sandstone continued once the cart dropped back down.

"...no I don't."

"Dunno what you looked like before, don't mind how ya look now. Just sayin."

Slurry stared at the big zebra as he walked to the second cart, piled high with obsidian, onyx and hematite. His fuschia eyes looked her up and down twice before he settled into position. "Your colors remind me of Manehatten and Baltimare - solid stone buildings and sunsets off the glass windows," he mused tiredly. "An your mane's just the feathers you still got."

"Are you.... complimenting me?"

Sandstone hesitated, wondering if he'd said something wrong. "just... sayin?" he repeated nervously.

Slurry looked Sandstone up and down twice before positioning the other bucket. "You.. like these colors?"

Sandstone shrugged. "I'd trade ya, if I could."

Slurry pondered that as the second bucket filled with gems.

Dustmite finally entered the Library of Canterlot, brimming with confidence. He'd managed to avoid the Royal guards, survived all the stares, and even answered a question or two (in "zebra", per Boss' instructions) to get him to his destination.

The main doors yawned open to the cavernous space inside, displaying the enormous collection of knowledge and wisdom that a millenium of peace can gather. Books, scrolls, tapestries and statues spread through the main hall, awaiting an eager eye to listen to their tales and hear the interpretations of those attentive enough to stop. The shelves towered over all the patrons, though access simple enough for a pegasus or unicorn. But what would a tiny zebra do to reach that lofty knowledge? Dustmite unfortunately would have to ask for assistance.

The unicorn librarian was already giving him a curious eye. Dustmite took a moment to gather his rhymes before he spoke.

"Pardon, please, I've traveled long - seeking knowledge we thought long gone. Point me please with your horn to ancient tales of alicorn."

The unicorn smiled gently at the singsongly language. "Upstairs to the north wing is the knowledge you'll find - and if you can't reach, we've ladders to climb." She seemed pleased that she could "respond" in the same way. Dustmite grinned and nodded before bustling away, thankful he didn't have to think up more rhymes - or get referred to Princess Celestia!

~~I'm in,~~ Dustmite reported to his brother, ~~now to see what I can scare up for boss...~~

~~Nicely done,~~ a voice interrupted.

~~Boss?~~

Lapis had tapped into the line. ~~As I said, communications short and quick. make sure you stay low while you research, and hide when they prepare to close.~~

~~Yessir. They won't look for me?~~

~~doubtful,~~ Lapis replied, ~~they just want to continue their peaceful lives and would not be bothered.~~

Dustmite breathed some relief as he acended the northern stairwell. Hiding won't be a problem, it's all that waiting.....

"A moment, Morning Star."

The white unicorn hesitated only briefly to her teacher's request. She turned solemnly to the princess but did not respond.

Princess Celestia seated herself so she could look her student in the eye. "I've seen your attendence changing in recent months, Morning Star. Is something troubling you?"

Morning Star blinked and thought a moment before she responded. "You wouldn't understand," she replied simply.

"Right now I don't understand," Celestia explained gently. "You were once a very eager student and you are very talented. But your attendence and attention has not been to what I've expected of you since you came to my school."

"....so you're throwing me out?" she replied flatly, not meeting Celestia's gaze.

"You always have the option to withdraw from my classes, and you know this. Why do you stay if you don't wish to be here?"

"Do you want me here? I can't tell."

"Every student is welcome," Celestia reaffirmed, "But I have done something that makes you feel otherwise."

"Oh, you didn't do anything at all," Morning Star mocked, "take it up with your new 'favorite'." She trotted out the door without another word.

Celestia lowered her own head in thought. She compared all her "attentions" she gave to her students, but couldn't see anything lacking when it came to Morning star. Then again, the white unicorn asked fewer questions and rarely contributed to the duscussions, so it had been difficult to include her in the lessons. Celestia was well aware of just how talented Morning Star was, and how well she controlled her abilites. Others, while strong, still didn't quite have a hoof down on what they could do with their magic. That required extra time; there was no bias there.

The alicorn sighed as she stood up. "I can only reach out," she said to herself, "it is up to the student to reach back."

"....and STOP rolling your eyes at me when I give you an order!"

Thunder Arrow had a map unfurled on a table in the main quarters, where he had Violet Force and Silver Shimmer in for yet another cloud-clearing errand. He knew not to make empty threats to them about punishments, especially when it came to these two.

Violet blinked, and changed his disdain to a long yawn. "Then get on with it."

Silver Shimmer was just as bored, scanning the map. "so what will it be this time? Rain in Appleloosa? Snowcapping mountains? Cloud-clearing Seaddle for a month?"

Thunder Arrow snorted at the defiance and stomped a hoof over an area marked "Drakenridge".

"Apparently someone is bored and leaving fog and thunderstorms over this area. Nopony lives there that we're aware, so we need that mess cleaned up." Thunder Arrow tapped the area a couple more times. "That weather might come in handy elsewhere, but right now we just need it cleared out. It's a few acres of clouds, that should keep you both out of my mane for a day or so."

"Sounds like a lower priority. Why send your best?" Violet snorted with disdain.

"Low enough to bore you two out of your minds," Thunder Arrow confirmed. "you might want to get started. Dismissed."

Chapter 9

Dustmite discovered that he was undisturbed in his corner of the library. While initially daunted by the massive bookshelves and scroll storage shelves, he realized how quickly and easily he could get what he needed using the ladders the librarian mentioned. Cleverly anchored to a shelf on rails, each ladder could be properly positioned and the item in question could be quickly tipped to the floor for his use. Having no magic of his own might be inconvenience, but for the dark blue colt it merely opened a door or two to his own ingenuity.

Dropping several tomes to the carpeted floor, followed by a few scrolls, he nosed the pile to a low table where he could toss each one up to leaf through and "examine" for his "research". He had learned a lot from his boss about alicorns already - how for thousands of years they were overseers of all of ponykind, mystical guardians who not only believed in keeping everyone safe, but assisted in maintaining a balance to the world around them. Boss mentioned that his own brothers and sisters all handled the duties that Celestia does by herself, anymore - raising the sun and moon, affeecting the distant tides and triggering the changing of the seasons.

If this was true, Dustmite wondered, why couldn't he find a word about it? Every book and scroll he opened talked about Celestia and Nightmare moon, though the name "Luna" popped up on older scrolls that talked about "a creature of chaos merely known as Discord".

~~Boss was right,~~ Dustmite sent to his brother, ~~it's all covered up, even in the library~~

~~he's not gonna be happy to hear that,~~ came a tired reply.

~~I am more unsurprised than unhappy,~~ Lapis interjected. ~~Leave what you've researched there.~~

~~got one more thing to look at- picked up a scroll on my way here that some guard dropped.~~ Dustmite dug the scroll out of his saddlebag and slowly opened it.

"This is a waste of our time," Violet Force groused.

"This is a waste of our talent," Silver Shimmer begrudgingly added. "Why are we out this way, again?"

"Something about a storm that the rookies could probably break up," Violet snorted. "It's just fog and thunderstorms, why should we worry about that out here in the middle of no ponies' land?"

"Let's just take it as a day off - we can clear out that whole mess in ten.... seconds..... flat?"

Silver Shimmer had slowed in her flight, gawking ahead at their "easy errand". Violet stopped as well, boggling at the frothing, churning, angry gray-black ocean that hovered over most of Drakengard. Each gray swirl of cloud rolled into another, sparking brilliant tendrils of lightning reaching out and around the edges. The grays rose and fell like airborne tides, and even from their distance they could hear agonized howls of wind trapped within the storms. Everything else of the storm glared through jagged holes in a silvery haze that blanketed most of the area. The two pegasi looked at each other.

"Twenty seconds?" Silver Shimmer nervously suggested.

Both launched toward the storm.

Lapis remained in his Librem Noctem, continuing to study his notes for the construction for the Star Compass. He had the gems he needed for construction and his list of enchantments, but the gems had not properly "resonated" with any of his current charges. According to one scroll, the Star Compass' chosen would alight the gems, and the smoothed out bead of lapis Lazuli pulsed at him as if asking its own questions. A jumbled assortment of gems lay scattered around the Compass' casing, none even suggesting interest in his errand. He never understood how Cepheid had had such luck in gathering the Elements of Harmony in the past; why was this artifact, constructed in conjunction with a Prophecy, so much the chore? He shook out his curly mane to calm himself before turning to his timetable.

“Boss, we got company.”

Lapis turned from his errand to see a soiled, soaked Hatchet marching into the Librem. “Somepony’s out there messing with the cover. Need me to handle it?”

Lapis turned his attentions outside, “sensing” the storms and fog covering the area. A few moments passed before he caught traces of intruders in the clouds, kicking them clear and expertly dodging the lightning that lashed out in protest. Impressed but concerned, the alicorn turned to his charge. “I’ll settle the matter,” he replied simply. “I trust your abilities in the outside weather, but what I can do will finish this much faster.”

“You goin out there, boss?”

“No. The intruders are coming in. Please step back into the doorway.”

Puzzled, Hatchet backed up as he saw Umbral’s horn spark with new purpose. The black sparks bounced about the room, startling Hatchet and backing him further into the hallway. He could feel the wind kicking up in the Librem, scattering scrolls and flinging books from their shelves. The cosmic display in the Librem spun faster as the wind continued to whip about, pulling all of the black sparks into a gaping vortex of absolute Night. The debris around the room spun around the rim of the vortex as Umbral continued to concentrate, horn continuing to spark and sizzle as the void spun faster…

Outside, the winds had picked up again. Silver shimmer paused in the cloud-clearing errand.

“I think we got someone’s attention,” Violet shouted over the forming gales.

“We can’t just leave this out here!” Silver shouted back. “Keep clearing –“

Silver’s order stalled as she was suddenly dragged backward by a crosswind. Violet gave chase, trying to catch up and help her steady. The crosswind turned into a tailwind for her and nearly pushed Silver into Violet. Narrowly avoiding the collision, they lost concentration in maintaining their path and felt the winds shove them in the same direction. Neither could gain a winghold on the winds as they tumbled through the storm, the lightning flashing around them to show an open path. Both could only spook and flail as a gaping black maw parted the clouds.....

The chaos still spun around the Librem Noctem as the sparks from Lapis' horn intensified. Hatchet was frozen in place to the indoor storm, watching the black void continue to spin, widening and howling an angry chorus like a pack of timber wolves. The cacophony was accompanied by two screams of panic as two pegasi burst through the hole and landed in a purple and gray heap at Umbral's feet. The storm dissipated instantly, and the room briefly snowed in debris as the alicorn looked over his two intruders.

Hatchet took one hesitant step into the Librem, wings tenatively spread. "You got this, boss?"

Umbral did not respond. His stern gaze softened from anger to confusion to surprise as the two pegasi rolled apart and slowly regained their bearings. He shook out his curly mane before looking at his two captives again, who had dropped to reverent kneels before him.

"I....." he stammered. "I have seen...."

Hatchet continued to watch, confused. He expected Umbral to have them in chains to be dragged off, but his response told otherwise.

"I have seen you before," Lapis finished. "In a dream.... or a vision."

"In a memory," the female pegasus responded. "Luna had gifted us those many years ago, and we remained with the Equestria guard corps."

"While we choose to hold no rank," The silver pegasus continued, "we chose to protect Equestria until the time came to fulfill a destiny."

Umbral opened his mouth to respond, but his midnight blue eyes caught a glimmer in another part of the room. A side glance caught the shimmering of a shard of rose quartz, along with a glittering from a perfect sphere of hematite. He turned back to the two pegasi.

"We have much to discuss, Violet Force.... Silver Shimmer.... my Shields."

Dustmite darted up a bookshelf ladder to catch a rare sight - seeing the lowering of the sun. One of the west-facing windows had a perfect view as he watched Celestia perform for a small gathering of locals, who ooh'd and ahh'd at the sight, then dispersed quickly as the evening took hold. The colt hopped up to the top of a dusty bookshelf and curled up tight, waiting for the last of the librarians to finish their rounds and go home. He wanted to read more for boss, and once he had, he also had to impart what was on the scroll he got from the guard.

Hoofstops halted his wandering mind and opened his ears. A cautious peek caught the sight of the librarian he spoke to earlier looking around, probably looking for him. She trotted about, not saying a word, peeking around corners and checking under tables. She shook her head when she saw the mess left on the table from Dustmite's research, but resigned that it would all be reshelved in the morning. She took a last look at the pile before trotting back downstairs.

Dustmite did not move until he couldn't hear her anymore. He peered over the bookshelves and saw no one else around. With a simple grin he bounced down the ladder and headed back to the table to continue reading.

Violet Force and Silver Shimmer were given free run of the compound after talking for a couple of hours with their long-lost alicorn friend. He explained his quest in great detail and assured their role would be very important; yet his Star Compass still lay incomplete. He wanted them to return to Canterlot in the morning, hopefully to help with his final plans. Working out an explanation for the rogue weather took time, but would be enough to keep Thunder Arrow from sending more assistance.

"I'm glad Prince Umbral remembered us," Silver bragged, "we truly are unforgettable."

"He still called you 'brother' at one point," Violet responded with a smirk, "his memory isn't that good."

Silver swatted her brother with a wing. "Still, after all this time, it was just good to know he remembered anything about how it was and should be."

"Speaking of should be," Violet thought aloud, "something doesn't seem right about him... something's missing..."

Silver swatted him again. "He's just focused on task. Once we're done, that's when the party starts!"

Violet swatted her back, and the two broke down in a chase in the hallways in an impromptu game of wing-tag. Their laughter echoed in the hallways, awakening another pegasus who poked her head out of her room to see what was causing the racket. She nearly lost her head as the two careened by her. Incensed, she gave chase, catching them and swatting them both to the ground with her leathery wings.

"Some ponies are trying to sleep," Slurry growled. "Just because Lapis is a night owl doesn't make anyone else here one."

The two pegasi lay twitching at her forehooves. She snorted and turned to return to her room.

"hey....."

Slurry paused, hearing one of the pegasi still conscious.

"Summer.....storm....?" Silver managed.

Slurry froze for a moment, then continued to walk away. "Never heard of her."

Midnight came and went; Canterlot at its quietest, and how Morning Star liked it.

She tired of the constant questions to her disinterest in class and distance from her schoolmates; Aurora understood, but even their conversations remained short. The white unicorn effortlessly undid the locks to the Canterlot library so that she could continue her own studies. The classes were too slow, the students too dense to understand. Celestia herself was blind to her ability. She was better than everyone in that class, not permitted to be moved ahead. Perhaps a few dissertations on history will shake the memories of her "Dear teacher".

She quietly trotted upstairs to her usual spot, ready to gather a few books in hopes of finding something ancient and obscure to finally get Celestia's attention. Tales of an ancient civilization, perhaps? Or maybe a little-used area of magic? Perhaps some other fantastic creatures that inhabit Equestria? So many choices, so few nights....

She stopped short to see a table covered in open books and half-furled scrolls, scattered about as though left for her to research. Using her horn to light and carry a candle about the near area, she saw no one else in the near area. Nervously she placed the candle on the table and started sorting through what covered the table. Her ears swiveled about in curiosity to see if she was indeed alone.

The books were many tomes she had read before - history of Equestria, dating back hundreds of years. Scrolls contained anecdotes and tales she knew by heart, and maps as old, if not older, than Celestia herself. With a sigh and a shrug she sent most of the paperwork back to their place on the bookshelf, reserving one new scroll for her perusal. She had spotted the Manehatten stamp on the parchment and wondered what something that new would be doing in the history section? She opened the scroll.

She discovered the scroll was a report, addressed to Princess Celestia herself, regarding a "Magical incident" in Manehatten recently.

"Esteemed Princess Celestia:

Please be aware of fugitives about in the Manehatten area. Shortly after a fire broke out at the Walledhoof Astablea, Manehatten fire teams were caught off-guard by the potential perpetrators of this crime. Firefighters witnessed two unknown individuals - a piebald red and gold unicorn and a colt zebra - emerge from the basement of the hotel and flee the premeses. They were joined by two other stallions - a pale gray/purple zebra and a piebald black and gray unicorn. Manehatten guards and fire officials pursued and witnessed the four fugitives teleport away, destination unknown.

We humbly request your assistance in identifying the individuals if possible, and send further assistance so that we may capture and question the individuals for the fire, and fleeing the scene.

-Yellow Scorch, Manehatten Fire department
-Guardcaptain Hazard Watch

Fugitive #1
Unicorn Mare, red/gold piebald, Long mane, sun or star cutie mark

Fugitive #2
Zebra Colt, Blue with gray stripes, short mane, cutie mark unknown

Fugitive #3
Zebra Stallion, Gray with paler gray stripes, short mane, cutie mark unknown

Fugitive #4
Unicorn Stallion, black/gray piebald, curly mane, 3 moons cutie mark

Morning Star was taken aback by the descriptions - Manehatten wasn't known for zebras or mottled ponies. She pondered the descriptions anew; she agreed with the assessment that magic that strong doesn't occur in Manehatten, but the descriptions suggest they weren't "locals" . She also pondered the "black" unicorn - black was an extremely rare color in any locale. There were dark blue and dark gray stallions in Canterlot, but nopony was absolute black. Her next stop would be the Canterlot census, see if she could match up the description of the black unicorn to anypony in their archives. She "Gathered" her candle and trotted to another bookshelf in the history section, hoping to find a Census Archiva tome to sort.

Her candle's glow caught a strange shadow near the bookshelf. Before she could close in, the shadow darted away.

"Trespasser," she whispered to herself as the candle snuffed itself out.

Creeping about the bookshelves, she turned her ears carefully to listen for the intruder's hoofsteps. Unless this spy could use a silence spell, it was nearly impossible not to hear a step or a wingbeat at this late hour. Carefully tracking around each bookshelf, she tried to keep her own hoofsteps quiet.

One ear caught a sharply drawn breath.... from above? Her horn flickered, spotting something on top of the bookshelf. With a nod she teleported to the top of the bookshelf, ready to attack whoever else was cutting into her study time.

She appeared directly behind whoever it was and cast again, freezing her target in place. She then lowered the interloper to the table where she was studying earlier, then teleported herself down. Once back at the table, her horn flickered anew, lighting the near area and giving her a look at who she had caught.

Before her, frozen in fright and poised in mid-bolt, hovered a blue and gray zebra colt. She nearly dropped her spells at the sight, giving the little one a couple of frenzied steps before he was re-captured. She dragged the colt back to her and turn him around.

"Seeking information, for knowledge is power?" she whispered. "Or shelter or valuables at this late hour? Fugitive from Manehatten law, save yourself from a guardcaptain call." She "loosened" the spell, allowing the little one to speak.

"Fugitive I am not - set me free!" Dustmite stammered, "I traveled far to learn history! Forgotten tales, forbidden lore, names Equestria hears no more!"

"Do not run, so the guards won't come," she replied warningly, "but you will explain to me these other ones." Her hoof planted firmly on the Guardcaptain report.

Dustmite's eyes drifted down to the scroll, then back to her. "Friends and secrets, nopony knows. Please tell nopony else, then I will show."

Morningstar released the spell. "Speak."

Dustmite pawed the scroll so he could read it. He then tapped each description in turn. "Sorceress, me, brother, entity. This unicorn had sent me here to research the millenial drawing near."

"The Millenial Summer Sun Celebration? What do you need to know about it?"

Dustmite wasn't sure how to answer. ~~Boss, someone got me in the Library~~

~~at this late hour?~~ Lapis replied. ~~Let me "see"~~

Dustmite locked eyes with Morning Star. She stiffened, sensing magic at work. Her confusion broke all her spells and the library fell dark. Lapis could still "sense" her through Dustmite, and gauging her abilites impressed him no end. ~~Will she work for us?~~ He sent back to Dustmite.

~~Dunno - she's not gonna turn me in, she found a report that I managed to get from a guard here in Canterlot. Manehatten authorities are looking for us~~

~~As long as we have that document there will be no further pursuit of us~~

Morning Star blinked. "Is there someone else here?"

~~Oh, you CAN hear me, can you dear?~~

It was Morning Star's turn to spook. "Who's there???"

~~Calm yourself,~~ Lapis responded quietly. ~~Morning Star, is it....? Odd that one would be out so late at night. But your magic is tremendous, and I would like to meet you in person. Your help would be greatly appreciated, as the hope you would keep this report the little one has away from nosy Canterlot guards. Speak with the Voice of the Mind, Morning Star - why do you study when most ponies sleep?~~

Morning Star gathered her thoughts. ~~Princess Celestia has chosen another to become her prodigy - I am stronger than that other unicorn! She had already approached me about leaving her classes, not asking if I want to do any sort of individual study. There is so much more I can do....~~

Lapis allowed Morning Star to vent as he casually walked to the mound of gems brought up from the mines. A glint of light from an ovoid moonstone had caught his midnight blue eyes. ~~My dear, you do have a greater destiny. In your studies, have you read of the Mare in the Moon?~~

Morning Star's mood changed quickly at the inquiry. ~~I have, and the Millenial Summer Sun Celebration is tied to it.~~

~~Good, then you know of it... do you also know of an artifact known as the Star Compass?~~

Her reply came without hesitation.
~~"Star of North is the Lantern, one who guides the way;
Stars of East and West as Shields blocking out the coming day;
And the Star of south the Weapon to keep the others at bay."~~

~~I am the Lantern, Morning Star. If you are indeed the Weapon, you can prove to Celestia of your talents.... under the Shadow of the Moon.~~

Morning Star's head spun at the invitation. Was she dreaming? Was this zebra colt a unicorn in disguise? All her thoughts of finally showing her true prowess flooded forward, and the images of outshining her soon-to-be-ex-teacher's pet melted her hardened heart. ~~How would that be possible? IS it possible? I would be....~~ her vision started to blurr.

~~No tears, Morning Star. Dustmite will guide you from here.~~

Chapter 10

Alignment

Lapis Umbral took pause in his evening studies to gaze out one window, where he could see the muted Rainbow of Dawn, his tacit cue that his evening was indeed over. It had been eventful for him - talking with a talented sorceress unicorn, the company of old friends, and an unexpected visit from Slurry.

She groused to him about the noisy visitors. He gave her the time to speak, and assured her they were unaware she was here while they were cavorting through the halls.

"So they didn't ask you about me?" she queried.

"They did no such thing," Lapis replied. "We were sorting out plans for the Millenial. I have already sent them back to Canterlot."

"Are they a part of this?"

"They are - they Remembered the history, and they will be pivotal in our success."

Slurry didn't seem convinced. "I don't trust them," her sole comment.

"I trust them," Umbral replied, "for I know you trust no one."

Slurry couldn't argue with that, and chose not to pursue it further.

"I do have a different duty for you today," Lapis continued. "Dustmite has finished his research and will need to be picked up this afternoon. Hatchet will cover your duties while you are away."

Slurry nodded in acknowledgement. "when do I leave?"

"I'll have you on your way shortly," Umbral told the pegasus, "but will you answer a question for me?"

"What question?"

"Who is 'Summerstorm'?"

Slurry visibly tensed. Her wings started to open, but then slapped shut to her sides. "Never heard of her," she insisted.

"Sounds like a memory you'd like erased," Lapis mused as he rummaged through a steamer trunk filled with artifacts. "You say you don't know her, but I think you know her a little too well."

Slurry's ears flattened as Umbral levitated a disk of highly polished silver from the trunk. "Do you know what this is?"

"A silver mirror," she replied suspiciously.

"Better still - a mirror of True sight. Will I see Summerstorm in this mirror?"

"No!" Slurry responded a little too quickly.

"A trade, then- I will even let you see me, first."

Slurry pawed the floor with a hoof, glowering at the mirror as though a spear aimed for her heart. "I ... don't... want... to ... see...."

"One look is all I am asking- and no one else will see. Violet Force and Silver Shimmer will never know of this exchange, for what I show you is not the business of even Night Ash and Desert Sun."

"Violet and Silver told you that name, didn't they?" Slurry demanded. "Why do you even want to know? Hasn't Equestria done enough damage to me?"

"Sate my curiosity. A simple request from someone who has given you shelter and food. I will even show you my reflection in this mirror, for even my magic cannot change what it sees."

"Fine," she spat. "Show me."

Lapis angled the mirror so she could only see his reflection. He struck a statuesque pose, allowing the mirror to take in his visage. The silver disc jingled with the faint music of windchimes, and the image materialized of a slightly different alicorn - one whose blacks were instead blue, and grays more white, eyes sparkling like a night sky. His shaggy, silvered mane flopped chaotically in his eyes, his draconine wings closed high on his shoulders like a cape. "Thus," he announced with a faint smile, his reflection grinning as if grabbing for attention.

Slurry puzzled the differences long enough for Umbral to move the mirror toward her. "This will be brief," he advised, "and you don't need to look if you don't wish to."

Slurry ruffled her wings uncomfortably, watching the mirror close in. Nothing appeared in the reflection until it halted in its movements, the music her cue to look away. She locked stares with her boss for a few moments until he looked to the disc to see what was revealed.

Standing in the reflection of the mirror he beheld a mottled blue and silver pegasus, with strong wings and a flowing mane. Her coat a mix of summer skies and storm clouds, her mane the golds of a summer sun and white pre-storm clouds. Her green eyes, the color of new leaves, held a stern determination that remained- perhaps the only thing that remained - of the tortured soul before him. He nodded approval and returned the mirror to the chest.

"Satisfied?" she muttered.

"My crime is the least of the ones committed to you, Slurry. I will not speak of this again, you have my word."

Slurry heaved a sigh and stretched her wings. "Can I go now?"

"If you wish. Return to the station where you originally dropped off Dustmite. He will have a guest with him, bring them both here to me."

Slurry turned and stomped out of the hall. She didn't even realize Sandstone had been standing there and saw the reflection as well.

~~She's even prettier there,~~ he involuntarily thought too loud.

~~You have work to do, Sandstone,~~ Umbral "Suggested".

Sandstone spooked and hurried off to the mines.

Hatchet had spent so much time working the forges, he chose to abandon his regular sleeping quarters for a cot near them. When he did sleep, he dreamt on about the designs that Lapis gave him and the rewards he would reap. He'd wake to the mixed heat of the fireforge that Desert Sun stoked for him every sunrise, and the chill of the frostforge that Umbral himself designed. He would then assemble his tools, placing the sword blanks or armor plates on a heavy table, then positioning them under his hammering rig - a two-pedaled device that allowed him to control the force of his strikes, and a gem-shod lever to move the superheated metal around the table or into its cooling bath. A similar rig is used for the frostforge - a table that could hold each piece in the bitter cold without risking his hooves to frostbite. He could then hammer out each piece, taking his pleasure in "killing" something with his rig.

o/underground, I'm underground.... Down where these strikes are the only sound.... Under ground.... o/

he chuckled to himself as he stomped a pedal, slamming a wingblade blank and making it spark and flash. He then resumed the steady hammering.

o/Underground, I'm underground, None look for me now, I'm not around, Day and night, I'm underground.... o/

His grin shimmered in the fiery light as his pace quickened.

o/I keep dreaming about the future And the coming end of days Angry weapons clearing out Everything Let my Angry weapons clearing out the way o/

He then repositioned the blank to continue.

o/hammer blows, striking everywhere it goes I only care if it's sharper there.... Armor plate, and weapons grade All that shines, while the sun it fades And everyone will feel under ground.... o/

He repeated his chorus, louder and more sadistic, laughing as the sparks lit up the room.

o/I keep dreaming about the future No one to stand out in our way Cause the darkness will be scaring them all away In the darkness I will strike them down cause they're my prey It's a dream that I've truly found in the underground... o/

Hatchet's laughter echoed through the lower levels, enough to put a chill in Night Ash's spine. "The mines aren't as scary as that pegasus," she said to herself has she prepared to join Sandstone.

"About time you came back," Thunder Arrow snorted as the brother and sister team reported that morning - late, of course. "Any idea who left that mess out there?"

"No idea," Violet spoke first. "A lot of it apparently was trapped weather in that area. Only a portion was actually moved into those mountains."

"Explain."

"Wind patterns in Drakengard have been catching stray storms that have come through the area," Silver Shimmer informed. "Most of the winds in there run about 20 Wingpower and or more - we'd need a lot more time and personnel to dissipate."

"20 WP?" Thunder Arrow noted. "Fine, we'll leave the area alone for now. I'll have you two checking it periodically and see if it slows down, then maybe get a team out there to finish it out. In the right season I'd have it steered in, but with the Millenial coming up we can't spare staff."

Silver Shimmer brightened. "Will they be holding it here?"

Thunder Arrow shook his head. "We'll have something going here, but the Princess herself has chosen her location...."

"....Ponyville, some tiny village a couple of hours from Canterlot by train."

Lapis nodded quietly as his new charge Morning Star filled him in on the upcoming festivities. "She thought it would be better to 'celebrate' with 'common folk'," the unicorn continued. "some village that's mostly earth ponies."

"That will work to our advantage," Umbral reasoned. "Her guard complement will be split up between the two locations as she will not travel alone. She'll have most of her pegasus troops with her going to Ponyville, while the earth pony and unicorn guards will likely remain at the castle.

"Have you any connections in the Royal Guard? Anyone else who might not be as... 'loyal'?"

Morning Star thought carefully before speaking. "Not personally - but there have been whispers of one guardcaptain not satisfied with his lot."

"Indeed...? Can you investigate these for me? Send back what you learn. Again, keep the Voice of your Mind quiet and brief, and success will be for all of us."

Morning Star offered a small bow. "My teacher."

Lapis offered another faint smile. "Your reward. Please, return to Canterlot before suspicion rises any further."

The white unicorn beamed proudly as she teleported away.

Desert Sun usually only visited the forges first thing in the morning, as her duty was to stoke the fires and make sure they were hot enough for Hatchet's work. Night Ash warned her friend about visiting the armorer while he was working, citing the evil song he sang as he worked away on a blade. Desert Sun didn't fear Hatchet, she reminded Night Ash. After all, Hatchet would have Umbral to deal with should harm come to anypony within the team.

As she closed on Hatchet's chosen lair she could hear his sadistic song and escalating strikes on his work. Undaunted, she strode in to see him happily stomping away on his hammering rig, flattening out a blade blank. He didn't notice her as he gave the blank a good look, then pushing it to its cooling bath with the gem-shod lever. As the blank hissed and sizzled he flapped his dark wings around it, letting the steam permeate the room and the fading glow reflect in his blood-red eyes. The sadistic glee in his work more hypnotizing than unsettling to the unicorn, she made her presence known by levitating the cooled blank back to his work table.

Startled out of his zone, he flew over to Desert Sun. "That a critique? Might not have been cool enough to move yet."

"Given all the ruckus down here," she replied coolly, " a wonder if you're doing any work."

"Might not be," Hatchet smirked. "If it's this much fun it ain't work. Why you down here, anyway?"

"Amusement," she responded quickly. "Just seeing if you're making a mess or making progress. Master Lapis has his hooves full and would welcome another set of eyes on
you."

Hatchet landed and pointed a wing toward the stone mannequins Lapis had supplied. "Look for yerself."

She turned slowly to the mannequins lining the wall, silvery eyes widening at each design. These were not manufactured bardings seen at Canterlot castle - somehow, without magic, Hatchet's hooves and tools had beaten metals with the heat of her forge or the ice of Umbral's into seven distinct suits. She recognized Umbral's immediately - frost-forged and silvered, with segmented wingblades serrated and an extended spike off the ends of the wings. The Champron(helm) had accents in hematite, and the frostforged iron creniere would taper down his neck but allow plenty of neck movement for flight and spellcasting. The greaves and croupiere had onyx moons, ordered the same as his cutie mark, which glimmered darkly in the light of the room. The peytal(chestplate) repeated the motif, each crescent outlined in silver.

She scanned each of the other suits before seeing hers - properly fire-forged barding with her cutie mark displayed directly under Umbral's on the chestplate. Her helm had more silver than iron, with a gold-plated ring opening for her horn. Fascinated, she carefully levitated each piece in place and secured it comfortably to her form. She took a few measured steps, noting that despite the iron the armor itself wasn't terribly heavy. It did little to control her mane, but she didn't mind that at all. When she turned to face Hatchet, he was grinning with a mix of pride and anticipation.

"Whatcha think? Not bad for not havin ya model it before now, right?"

Desert Sun removed the armor and placed it back on the mannequin. "Master Lapis will be very pleased."

"That's just because you are, huh? howbout you send high hoofety-muck down here for him to look?"

"He'll likely be down in a couple of days to inspect them," she affirmed. "He is hoping to complete his Alignment of the Star Compass first. I would use the time to fine-tune what's completed. He has a more.... discerning eye than I do."

She trotted out without another word. Hatchet's smile was gone.

Indeed, Lapis Umbral had been feverishly preoccupied with his Star Compass project. Now that he had all the components and respective gems, he methodically assembled the compass and installed the four gems to their proper cardinal directions. Measuring and re-measuring their positions, the margin of error smaller than a single grain of desert sand. He had asked his assistants from Canterlot to join him that evening - a night where the Mare in the Moon would be able to see Equestria below - so that he may "Calibrate" the Compass and prepare its message to his long lost sister.

Violet Force, Silver Shimmer and Morning Star met with the alicorn at the fortress before teleporting to a barren, flat space miles from any civilization. Before leaving, Umbral removed the gems from the Compass and given to each respective member. He could have kept the Compass assembled, but savored the wonder and pride as each member reacted to the flickering gem they represented. He considered re-telling the story of his brother Cepheid and how he came to find the original Elements of Harmony; he changed his mind, recalling how they will be lost to history as his family had been thanks to Celestia.

The train of thought brought the battle of Discord to his mind, souring his mood. He remembered how hard-fought that battle had been, how they had to work around Discord's nonsensical abilities and effortless magics. The memories were mentally shoved aside upon arrival.

"Here," he gestured with his horn."The groundwork of the summoning will happen here, but the actual summoning can occur wherever needed."

Morning Star paced the area. "I understand the isolation, but isn't the summoning just once?"

Violet Force remained airborne, scanning the horizons. "Appaloosa's about as close as it gets for civilization," he reported, "the Buffalo out here will stampede if we really light it up out here."

"Neither are a concern," Umbral responded sharply. "This part of the summoning is simply a preparatory procedure, one that was not included in the literature in Canterlot for good reason." He levitated a document to Morning Star. "This should be familiar to you."

Morning Star "took" the scroll and opened it, reading by the light of her horn. Her studious expression snapped to puzzlement as the text continued down the scroll. The parchment magically lengthened as more information appeared. "What is the 'Unspell' portion of this ceremony, then?" she queried. "I've never heard of an 'Unspell'."

"Unspells, much like Necromancy, were forbidden centuries ago as they could undo punishments of any order. We're unlocking the banishment by using the unspell. We'll be 'unspelling' the mantra of the Star Compass, so that when we actually cast it on Millenial night, the spell will push through any remaining barriers and won't be stopped."

Umbral carefully cast around himself, tracing circles and sigils spreading several feet from where he stood. The other three backed courteously away, marveling at the intricate runes and forgotten glyphs that composed the same details as the face of the actual Star Compass. The artifact hovered steadily in the alicorn's face as he concentrated on every detail, every facet, every line and dot to every definition. He lowered the Compass to the very center of the tracing and leapt to the "north" end of the design. Nodding to the other three, Umbral watched as the other three carefully took their places at the other cardinal directions.

"Now then," he instructed. "Face directly to your due direction, wings closed, horns raised. The mantra will be recited in reverse order as to Calibrate. The initial unspell will transmit to Luna, alerting her that somepony Remembered. Violet Force, Silver Shimmer, I trust that your line will be spoken in exact unison. Morning Star, speak with the conviction that you hold in your heart. I will bring your gems to the Compass proper and the calibration will complete. Is this understood?"

"Yessir!" the two pegasi replied in the requested unison.

"As you command," Morning Star replied with tempered confidence.

"Begin when you are ready, Morning Star."

The white unicorn steeled herself, magic flickering to life on her horn. "I am the Star of South, the Weapon," She intoned, "That keeps all who oppose at bay."

The moonstone levitated away from her and locked into the Compass.

"We are the Stars of East and West," The two pegasi recited, "We are the shields that block the coming Day."

The hematite sphere and the shard of rose quartz added themselves to the artifact.

"I Am the Star of North, The Lantern," Umbral announced, "He who shall guide the Way."

The mottled lapis lazuli fastened to the Compass, causing the needle within to spin in a frenetic, counterclockwise motion. The speed and force of the spinning caused the relic to glow, first a soft red, paling steadily to a blue white sphere that held it dead center of the magic circle. With a sudden pulse and a flux of energy a beam of white light shot into the sky, aimed like an ivory arrow at the visage of the Mare in the Moon. All four looked to the sky, hoping that the message would be seen and heard by the exiled princess...

Chapter 11

"Everyone's here, except Violet Force and Silver Shimmer.... as usual...."

Thunder Arrow stood before his assembled troops. He had to raise his voice over the nearby din of the earth ponies and unicorns in the midst of some game. "All of you are well aware that Princess Celestia has decided to celebrate the millenial Summer Sun Celebration outside of Canterlot. We have been asked to escort the princess to her selected location just before dawn of the day celebrations. This means I will be needing a few individuals who will NOT be attending the nonsense in Canterlot proper to escort her. Do I have any volunteers?"

One wing in the crowd was raised. "Captain, wouldn't assigning Violet Force and Silver Shimmer be punishment enough for them so that they miss the party?" Murmurs and chuckles rumbled through the crowd.

"Too good of a duty for them," Thunder Arrow replied with a snort. "I need ponies I can trust for this mission. This occasion is TOO important to have undisciplined ponies like those two doing barrel rolls with Princess Celestia in tow!"

Another wing opened in the crowd. "Sir, will it only be pegasus guards going with the Princess?"

Thunder Arrow turned to address Gallant Lionheart, who had walked away from his post. "You there!" he called to a lone unicorn soldier watching the game. "What's your name and rank?"

The unicorn blinked and looked Thunder Arrow's way. "First Officer Shining Armor, sir."

"Has Gallant Lionheart spoken to you about a complement of unicorn guards for the Princess' trip to Ponyville?"

"No sir," the white unicorn replied. "My captain may be looking into that as we speak."

"Report to me immediately once you have word," Thunder Arrow ordered. The unicorn saluted and walked inside to the guardquarters.

A third wing raised. "Sir, will you be traveling to Ponyville with the complement?"

"Only if necessary," the captain responded. "Now, about those volunteers......"

Umbral arrived at the forges in the early afternoon, shooing Hatchet outside to work on the cloud cover. Violet Force and Silver Shimmer had informed him (through Morning Star) that the cover had to be reduced to lower suspicions until after the Millenial. He wanted to inspect the armor that Hatchet had been preparing, especially his own. Desert Sun had told him about her barding and mentioned how well it fit her- and that he should see for himself.

Sending Hatchet outside served two purposes - he wanted to inspect the armor without his commentary (or groveling, judging from his nervous reaction to the request to leave the room), and in case he wanted to do alterations of his own for the barding. "Hatchet would likely grovel and snivel until the frostforge's ice would overwhelm the fire forge," Umbral muttered as he approached the seven armors that Hatchet had spent most of the past year forging.

The alicorn was very impressed with the work completed. For a pegasus who had no magical ability, a career such as blacksmithing seemed counter-intuitive. Yet the bardings were all customized to each member, a theme toward each name that would only come from Hatchet's twisted imagination. Sandstone's and Dustmite's were nearly identical in design, looking more like sheets of stones than conventional studded bardings; Night Ash's armoring the lightest, looking more like a gown with a few plates to protect her; Desert Sun's more thorough, appropriately fire-forged; Slurry's armor looked thick and heavy, with wing plates (decorated with reliefs of "feathers") to protect the membranes of her cursed appendages. Hatchet's own armor was stamped with black spikes, and perfect reproductions of the serrated wingblades that Umbral himself had offered. The originals were modified with wing-whipblades that would trail off the edges of Umbral's armor. Upon seeing his barding, he quickly peeled each piece off the model to wear.

With each piece in place, Lapis recalled how long it had been since he had worn armor. Early on after leaving Canterlot he kept the armor he wore that night, a weight that he finally cast off himself when he learned how his name - and the names of his brothers - had been erased from history. This time, he thought to himself, there will be no means for them to forget his presence!

He flew upstairs to check the fitting, observing his movement as he ascended and as he trotted back to the chest to gather a mirror. He absently selected the mirror of True Sight out of the chest while he admired the greaves, then turned to face himself....

and froze.

His midnight-blue eyes locked with his own, but the blacks of his coat more blue, the grays more white, and the idiotic grin on his reflection's face! He couldn't concentrate on the armor with that ridiculous look! Angrily throwing the mirror back into the chest with his magic, he selected a proper plain mirror to admire Hatchet's handiwork.

Despite the Millenial Sun Celebration not being held in Canterlot, the kingdom was still abuzz with the impending event. Many of Celestia's students split their free time between decorating and planning for the day, as well as the all-night party before, where a full moon would supply the light for the first half of the millenial event.

Morning Star remained disinterested in the festivities herself. She ignored all of the strung banners of multicolored flags from window to window on one thoroughfare, blinked blearily at posters on the walls and sighed. The finery meant nothing; the event was coming up soon enough, she had a lot of other things on her mind. She had orders from Umbral himself to seek out anyone else who might be up for their cause. Asking her classmates would be too risky. Then again, she pondered, Aurora might be interested.....

Her thoughts stopped short as her half-awake walk had brought her to the Royal Guard training grounds.This close to the Millenial, many of them were just waiting for their assignments. Now that Princess Celestia had plans to travel, the pegasus guards were discussing with their captain to see how and who would be accompanying her. The Earth pony soldiers and the unicorn soldiers had broken down into a game of their own, kicking a ball around the open field. The respective captains weren't all that interested in the game - the earth pony captain shook his head in frustration and the unicorn captain had stopped watching. Only another unicorn soldier - a newer recruit with a dark blue mane - watched with the earth pony captain as the two groups cavorted about.

She found it odd that a unicorn guardcaptain wouldn't watch his troops, even at play. The thought nearly lost to her tired mind as a shadow fell over her. Wheeling in dazed panic, her horn lit immediately at the threat.

Standing before her, almost as bleary-eyed as she was, a unicorn night-guard from the library. "I was asked to bring you to the unicorn guard-quarters."

"I've done nothing," she warned.

"It's nothing serious. We're hoping you have some information for the night-guard. Captain Gallant Lionheart requested you specifically. Please come with me so we can get this over with, I need sleep."

Lapis Umbral gathered his soliders to the forges late in the day to have everyone inspect and try on their armor. He approved of the varied designs and wanted to see how his team would handle their new bardings; most, he guessed, had never worn armor in their short lives. It amused him to watch them walk around the mannequins to see what they'd be wearing, each one a mix of bewilderment and concern. A peek into their minds explained even more to him - Sandstone and Dustmite worried about movement, Slurry perplexed at the wing-covers, Hatchet fearing for his life that they don't meet the alicorn's standards.

"Do not be shy about the armor," Umbral instructed. "it does not attack you. It will protect you from anything we will be facing soon."

Sandstone nosed his gear off the mannequin, listening to it collapse on the hard floor. "How'm I gonna move in that?" he asked.

"Ditto," Dustmite agreed. "I can't walk quiet in this."

Umbral raised Sandstone's armor off the floor with his magic. "Have either of you worn armor before?" The two stallions shook their heads no. "In your case, Sandstone, your work in the mines will help you with this. Despite your strength when I met you, your time in assisting me has made you much stronger."

Sandstone didn't understand the statement and flinched as the barding hovered over him. "Stand very still," Umbral requested. "I will fasten each piece in place and you can tell me when it gets too heavy."

Sandstone steadied himself as each piece slid into place. He twitched a bit as the peytal was fastened. "Too tight," he complained. The straps to the peytal loosened, allowing the big zebra to relax. His stance remained steady as each piece snapped into place, securing and slowly released from a the magical grip. once the croupiere was secured, Lapis took a step back. "Now walk toward me."

"Thought you said this was heavy armor," Sandstone puzzled as he marched up to his master as though unburdened. The alicorn gave a slight smile of pride.

"That is the result of your hard work in the mines, Sandstone. Just as Night Ash working with you has helped focus her magic, Desert Sun learning control by helping with the forges, Slurry getting the wind back under her wings, Dustmite honing his skills in the supposedly most secure kingdom of Equestria, and Hatchet 'expressing' himself in these very functional bardings. Your contributions to these creations are the very reason you can wear your unique uniform with pride. As we have worked together on these, we shall work together at the coming celebration."

The others, save Slurry, cheered and paraded about in their new gear.

Gallant Lionheart looked up from his paperwork as the night-guard brought Morning Star to him. "Dismissed," he replied curtly. The guard relaxed and trotted out.

"I'm not sure why I'm here," Morning Star began coolly. "I've committed no crime other than curiosity."

"No crime, milday," Lionheart responded. "But since you're so curious, you've made the night-guards curious. What are you researching so late at night that it can't wait for the light of day?" He levitated a bundle of scrolls to the table. "These were left on a table a few nights ago. Explain."

Morning Star recognized the scrolls from her meeting with Dustmite. Remaining as stoic as possible, her eyes raised back to the guardcaptain. "And what of it? Scrolls I've read in the past. Perhaps I have a thesis to complete and needed to check records?"

"I'm also aware you've missed a lot of classes at Celestia's school. Thanks to the break, that's slowed, but you're danagerously close to an automatic withdrawal. Not my business, but since I have a student in the class he was wondering about you."

"I still see no crime here," she affirmed.

"Then please explain this....." Lionheart levitated a wax seal torn from a scroll with the Manehatten crest. "I believe this came from authorities in Manehatten but I do not have the rest of the parchment. This was in the mess that was found at your 'favorite table' one morning."

Morning Star gasped. She had picked up the scroll afterwards but didn't think to look for the seal. Her mind raced - the scroll was already open when she found it, so Dustmite (who had no magic) likely had to tear it off. "I know nothing," she replied with as much confidence as possible.

"Nothing, you say? Are you sure about that? A lie to an offical can be a crime in itself... as well as withholding information on a possible royal matter."

Morning Star's ears drooped. "I....." she wanted to cast on the guard-captain but that too would be seen as guilt.

"Show me the rest of this document and I may forget this mild transgression. This close to the Millenial there is no reason to dampen one's spirits." Lionheart's tone was not terribly convincing.

"You just don't want to do the paperwork, Captain," she replied in defiance. The guard-captain sighed.

"Sadly, you are right. I have no interest in making this any sort of trial. May I see this document now?"

Morning Star brought it out of her saddlebag and placed it in front of him. "Please, tell no one about this."

Lionheart slowly unfurled the scroll, reading the report. "A fire in Manehatten? Rather mundane thing to be hiding, milady... Zebras? Mottled Ponies? That is certainly unusual. No crime in hiding this."

Morning Star looked away. "Nothing would have been done with this until after the Millenial anyway," he continued, re-reading the descriptions. "Ameteur detective work, I'm guessing - a black unicorn is rare enough, few have been seen over the centuries."

"You've been around long enough, sir - did you know any?"

"I'm old but not THAT old," Lionheart chuckled. "Those two pegasi - Violet Force and Silver Shimmer - they claim they knew Nightmare Moon and said she didn't work alone."
Morning Star froze. Did those two just ruin the entire plan??

"Always wondered about that - Celestia's powerful enough on her own, and if Nightmare Moon was the younger sister she wouldn't have challenged without backup."

~~Master, I fear there are suspicions of our plan,~~ Morning Star sent quickly to Lapis.

~~He has an interesting "theory",~~ Lapis quietly replied. ~~she what else he thinks.~~

"What theory would you have, sir? It was assumed that it was mere arrogance that cost Nightmare Moon a victory."

Lionheart thought a moment. "Have you ever wondered why Princess Celestia even HAS guards? They would mean nothing in a battle with another alicorn. She claims it's out of the goodness of her heart and means of maintaining harmony, but that can't be the entire story. Nightmare Moon's jealousy was a factor, sure, but she HAD to know she wasn't as strong as her sister, so she faced Celestia with a complement of guards of her own, or perhaps another alicorn."

Morning Star blinked. "Another alicorn? I thought Celestia-"

"Not according to those two pegasi," he interrupted. "Equestria was ruled by committee, supposedly, so perhaps Nightmare Moon convinced one of them to help her against Celestia."

~~I like that,~~ Lapis sent to Morning Star. ~~Tell him and see what he thinks~~

"Captain, will you open the scroll again? I know something about one of the fugitives."

"What, and make me do paperwork on this?"

A sharp knock on the door interrupted the revelation. "Sir, I've been asked by Thunder Arrow to inquire about unicorn complement for the Princess' trip to Ponyville."

Lionheart scowled, an expression not lost on Morning Star. "First Officer, I will speak with the contingent later today. Tell Thunder Arrow to keep his eyes on his own soldiers."

"Sir, I was just - "

"Send him to me if he has issue with that," Lionheart snorted to the First officer. "She won't be leaving until the night before anyway, we have time."

As with many evenings, Umbral had become restless as the days counted down to the Millenial. He'd look to the moon, wondering if he had indeed contacted his sister. She couldn't return the signal whether she heard it or not, but even the slightest sign would give him a little more confidence. One heaving sigh later he walked away from the window, head lowered.

o/` Every evening I check the sky
sometimes gazing to Luna's "eye"
It makes me miss those times before
Family was together more
and we'd all manage day and night.....

Every morning I walk away
from the gaze of the coming day
I can't seem to sleep underneath the glare
the sun's rays I can hardly bear
that light must go away.....

When we make the stars align
my troubles will be worth the time
to see my sister free and home again
Equestria will be ours again
Celestia left behind..... o/`

He was still humming as he wandered through the Libram Noctem. "Enough of that," he growled to himself and shook his mane clear. "We're too close...."

Chapter 12-13

Chapter 12

Gallant Lionheart and Silver Bardiche assembled their teams in their main quarters to discuss duties for the Millenial. The unicorn and earth pony captains had been discussing at length how much actual "cover" would be needed in Celestia's absence, and with Thunder Arrow's team covering her travel, no one else would be required to leave Canterlot to escort her to Ponyville. A map with the castle's layout hung on one wall, showing the "typical" assignments for the three teams. Lionheart, manipulating a quill with his magic, started marking out areas for the Millenial.

"Despite the Princess' absence, we will still need some guards for patrols during the evening prior and probably into the late morning," Lionheart began. "We will only need about half of the night-guard to cover perimeter posts and a small number of earth pony troops outside the castle. We'll have the throne room locked down, no one in or out until after Celestia's return."

Bardiche's expression didn't change. "We're taking volunteers... and if we have more volunteers then we can have more coverage."

"This coverage will be more than adequate," Lionheart harrumphed. "I'm sure the troops would like a day off." He turned to the troops. "As you can see, we only need a dozen or so volunteers from either group. I would hope that some of you would take advantage of the time off."

One hoof immediately shot up. "First Officer Shining Armor, are you volunteering or do you have a question?"

"I'm volunteering, sir."

"As First Officer, you could have just as easily taken the evening off." Lionheart wrote down the first officer's name to a list. "Any questions before we take more volunteers?"

Another hoof raised, this time from an earth pony guard. "Any way we can split the shifts? Maybe then everone can at least get SOME time to look into the festivities."

"Now there's some thought out of a soldier!" Lionheart responded with mock-surprise. "Two shifts - hooves up for early or late, and if you wish to work both, we can do that, too."

Several hooves sprung up at that point, including Shining Armor's. "I'd like to work both shifts."

"Done! Now, who else wants a half-shift?"

The guards eagerly clamored for the few spots open. Another unicorn guard nudged Shining Armor. "Thought you might have to keep an eye on your little sister."

"I know Twily," Shining Armor replied. "She's probably not even going. I might just tell Lionheart and Bardiche to write her name down and no one will have to guard the library."

Umbral had allowed his team time off leading up to the Millenial to make sure everypony would be well-rested. He did have one last, small mission for Hatchet, who apparently didn't get the memo; Lapis heard the ringing of metal from Hatchet's smithing rig as he approached. He quietly shook his head in amusement as Hatchet was pounding away at a star-shaped blade.

"Experimenting, Hatchet?" He inquired as he approached. "such a blade looks unweildy."

"Not for swingin," Hatchet replied as he turned the blade with a rod, "somethin that needs t' be thrown - or fired from something. I seen smaller ones like this on some guys who'd tack em loose to their wings and - " he swept one wing in a throwing motion, "They'd all snap off and shoot toward a target."

"I don't think even Slurry could carry that on her wing," he surmised as he looked the blade over.

"Nah, just gettin the hang of what one would look like - can make em smaller."

"So... would you have a moment to answer a question for me?"

"Anythin, boss!" Hatchet halted the rig and stepped away from it.

"Are you satisfied working for me?"

"Huh?" Hatchet looked around. "Why you askin that? Who told you what?"

"Do you feel obligated to stay in here in keep working despite everything being completed for our mission?"

"This ain't work t' me," Hatchet grinned. "Can't call it work when I like it so much."

"Then I need one last favor before the mission... can you forge two more sets of basic wingblades? Ones like those you attempted to attack me with? And can they have hinged 'wing-shields' similar to the covers you used for Slurry's barding?"

"Never tried makin em like that, but Yeah, can have em by tomorrow," Hatchet replied without hesitation. "Who they for?"

"I would like proper... 'insurance' for the two pegasi aiding me with the Star Compass."

"Those two that you sucked in here a couple months ago? Yeah, easily done."

"Make sure they're light but strong, and fit well. And in exchange... have you some cold iron left from my barding?"

"Yeah, there's a pile of it by the frostforge," Hatchet pointed with a wing.

Umbral magically selected an apple-sized piece and brought it to eye level. His eyes narrowed and his horn shimmered, magic wrapping around the lump and molding it as though it were soft clay. The pegasus watched in rapt fascination as the lump was molded into a long cone, then twisted around a bit. He said nothing as Lapis magically tamped the fashioned spike's base in the frostforge before firmly stamping it on the champron of Hatchet's armor. Another spark from the alicorn's horn and the spike melded into place.

"What will they do, bladed thief," Umbral mused, recalling their initial encounter, "When an alicorn is the last thing they'll ever see?" his expression a mix of bemusement and mischief.

Hatchet looked at the champron again, seeing the "spike" placed so it looked like a horn. "Alicorn...." he whispered.

"Isn't that a kick in the rump?" Umbral queried. Hatchet remained speechless as Umbral trotted out of the forges. "I'll be back in the morning for the wingblades!" He called over his shoulder.

Gallant Lionheart had made two copies of the schedules - one for Silver Bardiche and one for Thunder Arrow - so they could "keep track" of who needed to be where, and when. He was awaiting them when he was "contacted" by Umbral.

~~Look at your schedule~~

Lionheart's gaze locked on to the scroll with the scheduling.

~~Thank you. Timing is essential~~

"Of course," he replied aloud.

"Did you say something, Gallant?" Thunder Arrow had stopped in the hallway outside Lionheart's quarters.

Lionheart shook his head out. "Nothing, just keeping a few duties in order." He "handed" a copy of the schedule to Thunder Arrow. "I know none of your soldiers will working that night...."

Thunder Arrow read the copy. "Keep that," he replied. "I'm not babysitting for you."

"I offered," Lionheart replied and pulled it back to his desk.

"I'm sure you're still grousing that you don't have any of your troops going to Ponyville."

"Quite the contrary - more of my troops will be celebrating. I'll likely do one sweep of my own before joining the festivities."

Thunder Arrow snorted. "Of course you will," he said derisively before winging off.

~~Easier and easier, Master Lapis~~

~~So I see....~~

Umbral's next stop would be Night Ash, who was currently "reading" a scroll. He was surprised to not see Desert Sun with her for once. She lowered the scroll, obviously hearing the alicorn's approach.

"Still studying? Your mind needs rest."

"Learning is never a chore for me," she replied simply. "I could spend the rest of my days locked in a library now that I can 'see' so much more..."

"So you will be more than prepared - "

"When we bring down Princess Celestia," she finished for him. This startled the alicorn.

"Rather... blunt of you, Night Ash."

"You've danced around what the plan would be all this time... then I heard your sorrowful song. This means much to you. And with the gifts you have given me - directly and indirectly - I owe you a great deal."

"This does not trouble you? Overthrowing one of the most powerful beings in Equestria?" Umbral spoke mostly out of surprise and faint pride.

"When our mission is complete," she declared. "Everyone will be walking in the dark. I will be one of the few who can truely see. Let them understand what my life has been for so long."

More than satisfied, Lapis conjured a few more scrolls for her. "Look these over when you've finished the one you're reading," he suggested. "They'll tell you much more about who you'll be meeting in a few days."

"We're not going to Ponyville?" Violet Force protested. "Do you have most of the rookies taking her or something?"

Silver Shimmer was just as indignant. "You make it sound like we would have done - "

"Barrel. Rolls. With. The. Princess. In. Tow." Thunder Arrow finished for her. "You think I hadn't heard about the Saddle Arabia incident? They're STILL not talking to Canterlot."

The twins exchanged knowing grins. Thunder Arrow shook out his blue and white mane in disgust. "And since you didn't even bother to GO to the meeting, if I had signed you up you wouldn't have shown up anyway."

"You don't know that!" The twins responded in unison.

"You think I don't!? If it wasn't for your tenure I'd have hauling cargo wagons full of stamped-out foal crap out of ManeAsia. Just... get out of my office, I don't want to see either of you til after the Millenial."

The twins angrily marched out. Once further down the hall, they exchanged knowing winks and mirrored smirks.

"Stony, I'm bored."

"Jus a couple more days, Dusty, then it all goes down."

"But then what? I mean, this is an important mission and all, but what next? I wanna work with you again...."

Umbral sighed to himself as approached the brothers' quarters, catching some of their conversation. Indeed, once Celestia is overthrown, then what? He had been so focused on completing the mission that he was saving the "now what"s for afterward. He walked into the room, and the brothers stood at attention before him.

"I see that idleness is not in your nature, Dustmite."

"I wasn't complaining!!!" Dustmite hastily apologized. "just... need something to do. All this waiting, can't we just spring it all early?"

"I will fix two problems with one scroll, then." Lapis conjured up a giant scroll and unrolled it on the floor like a carpet. "I have recieved this layout of Canterlot Castle, with each post specifically marked to where the guards will be at the time of our invasion. I will need you to memorize this, and guide Hatchet and Sandstone through the grounds to make sure nopony raises an alarm."

Dustmite gingerly walked onto the map. "Wow, I could roll myself up in this."

"Sleeping on the map might not help as much as looking at it, but please have it as memorized as possible before we leave in a few days. Sandstone, may I speak with you alone for a moment?"

"Everythin ok?"

"Of course. I just need to point something out to you. I'd like you to walk with me to the forges for a few minutes."

Sandstone glanced back at Dustmite, who was immersed in the map. "Ok."

Sandstone followed Umbral for the first few feet. "Please, Sandstone, walk WITH me. By my side. It's easier to talk to you that way."

"Oh." Sandstone trotted up to Umbral, head lowered.

"None of that. Head up, chest out. Show me the soldier I know you are."

Sandstone took a moment to shift into that position. Once his head was up, he smiled proudly. Umbral nodded. "The reason we're going back to the forges," the alicorn explained, "is to demonstrate something we had to do with your armor during the smithing process."

"It fit fine, and wasn't all that heavy...."

"But it still fit you, despite how much stronger and heftier you became from working all that time in the mines? How your steps are strong and steady, threatening to crack the ground beneath your hooves! A true soldier and one with a greater purpose than scaring fillies away with your size."

Sandstone's perplexed response forced Umbral to continue. "When everyone was initially measured by Hatchet, it was only a week or two after your arrival here. You had been working in the mines for months, bucking at the rocks harder and harder each day. Soon, you could nearly carve tunnels with your powerful kicks, with strength that even surpasses many earth stallions of your size."

As they entered the forges, he pointed out the mannequins that held each suit of armor with his horn. "The mannequin we originally cast is bare. Look for yourself."

Sandstone trotted curiously over to the original mannequin that Hatchet had made when he arrived. He raised a front leg, looked at the mannequin; raised a back leg, looked at the mannequin; he puzzled how narrow his chest and neck had been despite what was seen as an imposing figure. Flummoxed at the comparison, he turned back to Lapis, who returned the look with a faint smile of pride.

"You are likely one of the, if not THE strongest earth pony I've ever encountered. Your work speaks for itself, and no current Canterlot guard can stand up to you."

Sandstone's confusion slid straight into confidence. "Thank you, sir."

"That's more like it. Now, you and Dustmite should review that map together. Get on with you now..."

Morning Star was back in the library late that afternoon, digging through several old spellbooks that overflowed from the bookcases in the StarSwirl wing near the back of the facility. She wasn't at her usual table, but one hidden in the corner of the wing reserved for teachers and court wizards, unicorns wishing to expand their repertoire. At worst, she reasoned, even if Celestia herself found her back here she would have a proper excuse. Her teacher Lapis tasked her with finding two spells for their plan - "Abscondation" and "Hearth Badge". The first, he had explained, would be her half of the trap to be set. The second would be a "tag" for those loyal to Umbral should something happen - a simple tap to a spot on their body, a whispered word - a single trigger to send them back to Drakengard should this plan not succeed. While she had every confidence in her new teacher's plan, she understood these measures - even if things go well, someone in their group could use Hearth badge to save them from capture.

The first spell would be harder to find, as it was one that landed on a "blacklist" some centuries ago. If all the details are not there, she can get the rest from her teacher when she went back to Drakengard the following day. The second, however, was a long-forgotten one that she found on an ancient scroll that was partially crushed by haphazard shelving of books over it. She read over the spell a few times then quickly wrote out a copy for herself. She replaced the dilapidated scroll between two books on the shelf where it had been previously crushed. She admired her handwriting on her version of the spell before settling in on finding the other spell.

Desert Sun was the only pony of the group requesting a west-facing window, where she had carved out a ledge to relax and watch the sun set. Her silvery eyes marveled at how the sun would slowly change color as it neared the horizon, as if cooling off for the night. She wondered if Princess Celestia "turned off" the sun every time it was lowered, as one would snuff a candle before they slept. She playfully conjured up a small flame in front of herself and made it dance around, making it brighter and dimmer to an unsung melody, twisting and cavorting like a colt on a summer afternoon. She dimmed it slowly to a deep red, then let it fade away as she heard hoofsteps approaching.

"I see someone is taking the time to rest," Umbral observed as he approached the fiery-colored unicorn. "you of all ponies, one who controls fire, yet not feverishly practicing or studying as the others have done."

"No need for more practice," she bragged. "You've shown me how lovely a flame can be when it's tamed. Passes my time when we weren't working or studying. And I've not set the place afire."

"You've learned much under my tutelege," Lapis affirmed. "And there will be much more to learn once we complete this mission. I will teach you much more about your dancing flames, that you will truly be a Sun to my Moon, a life I want you to share with me under the stars."

Desert Sun blinked in astonishment. "Are you asking me to - "

"I could be asking you to sit beside me at the throne, or perhaps sitting on a throne beside me. Would you accept such a proposal?"

"But... me? Just some silly unicorn who burns things? I would think Night Ash more your type, she's a bit broader in the magics...."

Lapis sat himself beside her. "A Sun to my Moon..... a light to help me cast the Shadows."

Desert Sun lowered her gaze. "I.... I'll need to think on this...." her voice was faltering.

"Do not fear your choice- I will accept either answer. We will talk again after the Millenial. I promise."

The two crossed horns for a few moments before The Shadow of the Moon took his leave. Desert Sun could only look to the horizon, wondering if her lifetime would be enough at his side....

"Morning Star! Where in Canterlot have you been hiding??"

Aurora trotted up to Morning Star as she hastily placed a stack of scrolls. "So did you actually withdraw from classes? Are you coming back after the Millenial?"

Morning Star smiled to herself and pulled a few more scrolls down. "I'm not formally withdrawing, I won't give Princess Celestia the satisfaction."

"So you're going to stop taking classes? You had a perfect average-"

"Average," Morning Star spat, "Average is what I'd be if I stayed in her classes. She didn't offer individual study, she wouldn't let me skip through a couple of the classes to get to actual challenges. Doesn't that bother you, Aurora? She should be doing the same for you. Did you even attend the last few sessions?"

"I wanted to keep my attendance record up," Aurora replied sheepishly. "And Princess Celestia kept asking me where you were."

"She didn't take the time to come looking for me? What a surprise...." Morning Star looked over the scrolls she had gathered. "So I'll learn on my own. In fact, I want to try a spell, if you're interested."

"Couldn't you try it on some..... thing first?"

"Ha! This is a teleportation variant spell I found. We set a location, go away from that location, and with a word or a touch to an object or a spot on your body, you automatically teleport there." She "handed" the scroll to Aurora. "We can both try it, if you like."

Aurora read the spell over. "This is all in your handwriting - did you just make this up?"

"I copied it from a damaged scroll in the bookcase. Let's go back to your place and try it."

The two of them trotted out of the library together.

"So why would you have this spell? I know your teleporting is already strong...."

"This is a specific teleport spell that anypony can use," Morning Star bragged. "Once I set it, you can teleport to a designated location through an object, a spoken word, or a doing a specific gesture. It only works once but can be reset as many times as needed."

"I bet you're setting one so you can go back and forth from the library without having to sneak around," Aurora leered. "Somepony told me you were called to the unicorn guard-quarters over that."

"They were complaining more about how I wasn't cleaning up my messes," Morning Star smugly replied. "Most soldiers can't read so they wouldn't know where to put a scroll."

Aurora couldn't help but give a small smirk as they headed back to her place together. Once there, Aurora trotted to her dresser and gathered a charm necklace. "I'll use this as my focus."

"Okay." Morning Star opened the scroll and carefully cast on the necklace. "There. Now we'll go back to the library and see if this works."

Slurry was thankful for her "alone time", checking herself over in the (normal) mirror supplied to her. She had the wing-guards on, and carefully tested her wing movements to make sure she would still be able to fly with the weighted appendages. The guards made creaking sounds when she folded her wings, making her ears twitch at the noise. Once closed, though, she preferred what she saw in the mirrror than her leathery "gifts" from another sorceror.

"The barding looks best when worn all togheter," Lapis opined as he watched her from the door to her room.

She glanced in his direction, wings still closed. "These were the only part I was worried about. A change in weight while in flight takes all kinds of corrections."

"Thankfully they do not affect your weather abilities, am I correct?"

"Doesn't stop me from cloud-walking or storm-gathering, no."

"That's good then. I don't wish to take anything away from you. Too much has been taken already."

Slurry looked away, head down.

"I'm sure I've said it in the past," Lapis gingerly continued, "But your work - the cloud cover, hauling materials and personnel to and from... it's greatly appreciated. You make it difficult for me to reward you."

"You already know what I want."

"I've given you plenty of work, but I know that isn't enough."

"How would you know?" Slurry growled.

"Because satisfaction is fleeting in many things," Umbral responded. "Deep down I know you just want to be ... 'you' again."

"Any progress on that?" came Slurry's sarcastic question.

"Actually, yes." Umbral presented her with an open scroll. "I should be able to correct your coloring and 'unlock' what is keeping your mane from growing. I'm still working on getting your wings 'corrected' but remember- a feathered wing works much differently from the ones you have."

Slurry once again looked away.

"One other thing, Slurry.... once we've completed this mission, You will be free to pursue basic weather duties as you see fit. All I ask is that you tell me where you're working in case I find more information to restore you."

For the first time, Slurry's stone gaze melted a little. "Anywhere?"

"Anywhere you wish," he affirmed. "And should you remember the names of those that cursed you, I will look away when a... freak tornado levels that town...."

Slurry's expression didn't change. "I made a promise to you when we 'met', " Lapis reminded her, "that I would help restore you, did I not?"

"You did, for what it's worth..."

"I've done nothing that has offended you so much that you have left, so you have found some merit in my promise."

"Or I don't have anywhere else to go," she grumbled.

"Everypony belongs somewhere, Slurry. And I will see to it that you will be completely restored once I rule Equestria."

"You've said that before," she groused and looked once more at the scroll hovering in front of her.

Lapis offered a couple of other open scrolls. "This is my research so far," he informed her as he lay them on a table. "Read them over the next day or so. If you agree, be ready for work. If not, you may leave. But please, see me before you go."

Slurry looked at the scrolls, then back at Lapis. "You really mean that."

"I swore on the very Shadow of the Moon, an oath that crosses my own heart. An oath that I cannot break."

Slurry nodded and trotted over to the scrolls.

Chapter 13

The "day" had finally arrived.

Lapis Umbral spent the prior evening going over his notes one last time, eyeing his map ticking away the minutes to his success. Once the sun was lowered, their plan could be set into motion. His subjects slept, saving their energies for the plan to be hatched. He awaited Morning Star's arrival as she had already mastered the Hearth Badge spell but could not find Abscondation - not even with assistance. He had several scrolls hovering nearby with alternatives if his Abscondation scroll was damaged or lost.

Violet Force and Silver Shimmer had already informed him they were not on duty that night and would be assumed to attend the festivites, so they won't be missed. They hoped to draw some of the guards from their posts before meeting up with Lapis, and would be assisted by Gallant Lionheart. Any guards that remained would have to deal with a few unruly renegades while the throne room remained open. It was the perfect plan, and if it weren't perfect all could escape with the Hearth badges that would be cast on their barding. As a favor to Morning Star, he gave the unicorn a small pouch full of pendants should she ever meet someone who would be worthy of their cause. His leigon would steadily grow.... under the shadows of the Moon at the Millenial.

"Summer Sun Celebration," he spat, "Tonight will be the Millenial Moon Celebration.... and a family reunion."

"Twily, I thought you'd be in the library."

Shining Armor saw his younger sister reluctantly heading for the pegasus guard launch platform. "Where are you going?" He called to her as he galloped up. "Something happen? All the Librarian told me was-"

"Something IS going to happen," Twilight sighed. "But the Princess isn't listening to me. She's put me in charge of the Summer Sun Celebration in Ponyville, but I needed to finish researching something...."

"It can wait til after the celebration, right?" He trotted up to her and mussed her hair with a hoof. "If the Princess isn't worrying about it, neither should you. Besides, she'll be down there so I bet she hoof-picked you for this."

Twilight didn't respond to the mussing. She sighed again and climbed on the platform. "I hope you're right. I'll be back tomorrow night if I can help it. Just... promise me that if something does happen, you take care of it."

Shining Armor saluted his sister, making her smile. "Yes ma'am!"

Her smile faded abrupty as the two pegasi shouldered into their yokes and carried Twilight off to Ponyville.

Elsewhere in the compound, Gallant Lionheart was reading over the guard roster for the festivities. He saw that Thunder Arrow had commissioned a half-dozen of his guards to escort Celestia to Ponyville, and would be leaving in the very early morning. He checked off the list he managed to squeeze out of Thunder Arrow and read over his own list. All but one of the guards chose half-shifts, which made his layout much easier. He positioned the one full-shift soldier on a perimeter detail, giving him half the complement and putting most of the earth pony soldiers outside the throne room. He guessed that would minimize interruptions as Umbral's soldiers could likely overpower the skeleton crew assigned for that night.

A slow smile crossed his face as he gazed down at the necklace tucked into his armor. He had a few soldiers he could trust to follow him once the mission was complete. In fact, they will follow his "orders" as the festivities escalate.....

Umbral sat alone, bathed in absolute darkness.

He had cast a sheath of Absolute Night in the room he occupied, giving his charges a strict order to leave him alone until sunset. This would be his time to go over the entire plan in his head.... and bring forth a "substitute" Abscondation for Morning Star's use.

In this absolute night he wove a spell even darker, attempting to bring just one last thing forward for his plan.

"Black is the night..... Blacker than the night.... Blacker than a battle in the caverns on a Shadowmoon midnight..."

In the darkness came a flicker of blue, a magic cracking the stone floor beneath him. His wings instinctively spread, and he leapt backward to give the spell more room. His eyes reflected the blue magic as something grew through the stone, a thorny tentacle spreading before him. It grew to his eye level, the tip pointing directly at him. "Show me," he whispered.

The tentacle began to glow brighter, threatening to dispell the absolute Night around him. The tip grew thicker, then erupted with a silhouetted face of a fanged pony with vacant silver eyes. It hissed and screeched, snapping at Umbral in protest to its arrival. The alicorn's horn sparked, and the creature shrunk back, its form looping and forming into a full bloom black rose.

A sinister grin crossed his muzzle as he condensed his darkness into a sphere around it, shielding it from any other light. "Thrive," he told the black sphere, "and I will thrive with you."

"You're the last person I would expect to take guard duty, much less a full shift....."

Silver Bardiche was scrutinizing the security detail for the evening. "You're putting Shining Armor on perimeter patrol? I'd think he'd be better closer in...."

"I'm well aware of his abilities," Gallant Lionheart responded as he pulled the detail away. "Centralizing him would increase his range over the entirety of the kingdom, but placing him close to someplace where there will be no threat seems.... irresponsible. Besides, he will have to monitor those assisting on the perimeter, and that much larger of an area requires more of a continuity."

"Now you're a strategist, too?" Bardiche snorted.

"You don't find my tactics sound?"

"Just the first time I've seen you actually care."

"This event is too important," Gallant Lionheart announced. "This is a milestone occasion. It would be disastrous if something were to happen. Celestia might even be safer in Ponyville than she would be here, under the watchful eyes of six of Thunder Arrow's best."

"I'll be doing perimeter as well," was Bardiche's flat reply. "Just a hunch."

Lionheart hesitated as the response. "If you feel you need to," he replied.

The earth pony commander walked solemnly out.

A crowd had gathered outside an ornately decorated balcony affixed to Canterlot castle. The ledge served a single purpose - to celebrate the raising and lowering of Sun and Moon. Princess Celestia had sent word through the kingdom that while she would not be in Canterlot to raise the sun to begin the day activities of the Summer Sun Millenial, she would offer her the subjects the honor of seeing the sun lowered and the moon raised. Half the kingdom had arrived for this honor, and the buzz increased as unicorn guards assembled beneath the balcony while pegasus guards glided in. Pairs took places on parallel parapets, save two who flanked the entryway. Whispers became chatter and song, blossoming into cheers as trumpets announced the arrival of their benevolent ruler.

The cheers overtook the music as the white alicorn strode out, shimmering under the rays of the late day sun. Her amorphous, pastel-striped mane and tail flowed with winds unfelt but by the most magically attuned, leaving a short lock or two to slip under her golden tiara and drop into her brilliant lavender eyes. Around her neck lay a golden necklace decorated in purple tanzanite and diamonds, glittering with the trickles of gold and blue in her coat. Her golden horseshoes made no sound as she centered herself on the balcony, acknowledging the throng who had gathered to this event that she had maintained alone for almost a thousand years. Her smile to her subjects gentle, and her gaze humbled by the love and adulation from those assembled. She caught faint smiles from her otherwise stoic guards; was it their pride for serving her, or the anticipation for that night's festivities? It mattered little to her as long as her subjects were happy of their lot and proud of their home.

She raised one long, slender leg in a tenative salute, hoof curled under as if hesitating to her job. The crew cheered louder and stomped their hooves in proud pony applause, only further humbling Princess Celestia. Her biggest responsibilities had deified her with the citizens and distanced her from any true relationship with so few. Her smile broadened as the cheers refused to fade, and she spread her majestic wings in preparation for her royal duty. The assembly only found ways to become even louder, stomping and cheering as she cleared the balcony with a single flap of her wings, casting brief shade over her people as she ascended.

Her blue-white horn flashed with golden light, blending in with the dazzling rays of the sun as her unspoken command gently pushed the orb to the horizon. The golds dulled to summer oranges, deeping to a royal red as its colored farewell brought cheers anew to those in attendance. Celestia gracefully reversed field in the sky, pointing her horn to the opposite horizon where the sun faded away. The sweep of her horn brought the stars forward, peeking into the darkened sky like curious, distant eyes. The stars themselves paled to the raising of a full moon, still adorned with the faded image of a unicorn head, vacant eye giving no suggestion of where it looked. Those watching had seen that faded image so many times that no one paid it mind - they were cheering the chance to see the sun lowered and the moon raised in the delicate aerial dance that Celestia publicly presented. Swooping once over the crowd to catch their reverent attentions away from the raised full moon, one last cheer erupted as she gracefully returned to her starting position, lowering her head in a royal bow. One last cheer erupted from the assembly and music tried drowning it out. Celestia watched as a local ensemble musically started the night festivities, allowing Celestia to take her leave and prepare for her journey to Ponyville later in the night.

Night Ash and Desert Sun had stopped by the Librem Noctem to see if their leader was prepared for the night activities. Desert Sun had seen the moon raised and described the image on the sphere to her blind friend, raising both of their anticipation for the plan to be set in motion.

"It's early yet," Umbral answered the tacit question. "I await Lionheart informing me of Celestia's departure."

"We're not going to stop her from going to Ponyville?" Night Ash asked, perplexed.

"She must arrive at her proper destination, my dear. Nothing should seem wrong until there is no time to step up and stop what we are putting in motion."

"But we're going straight to the castle first, right?" Desert Sun reminded.

"We are," Umbral affirmed. "However, for this plan to properly complete, I have to be positive of Celestia's location when she is to be revealed to the Ponyville citizenry. Once she is there, I'll have her brought back; after all, she should welcome her sister home, should she not?" The faint smile on his face had a clever curl to it.

"You can't just teleport Princess Celestia someplace without her resisting," Night Ash wondered out loud. "While she rarely uses the full extent of her magic..."

"Therein lies the solution," Umbral finished for her. "Most of her magical wards will be down as she is simply visiting a tiny village that has little crime to speak of. Her magic can be stopped, albeit briefly, but long enough that I can have her properly restrained. To this, I will need you both with me in the throne room to block both her escape and any guard interference."

"And the others?"

"Good of you to ask, Desert Sun. I do despise bloodshed, but those guards who insist on staying at post will be.... 'dealt with', if not by Sandstone, by Hatchet. Slurry will likely assist should a pegasus guard slip away. Her size and speed would be enough to pursue despite her armor. While they are subduing the guards, you and Night Ash will cast a shield of fiery sandstorms around the borders of the throne room while I use the Star Compass to bring Nightmare Moon home once more. It will be an experience neither of you shall forget."

"Should we be suiting up, then?" Desert Sun eagerly queried.

"Perhaps we should get started. This way, miladies..."

Even in the evening, Canterlot shone like a beacon on the side of the mountain it had been carved. Candles, spells and fireworks lit the buildings in an array of brilliant colors, from modest teals to brilliant reds and purples, finishing with gold and silver sparks. The crowds, the music, the lights, the NOISE! A Celebration as though the sun had never gone down! The spectacle fueled by multiple ensembles playing traditonal and current music, food by the bushel and beverages by the trough lined the streets in a show of prosperity and plenty for a kingdom that had survived a millenium in peace. Trendsetters and soldiers alike shared in the bounty, comparing tastes and telling stories of their beloved home or dancing to the cacophony that reverberated through the streets. The sound rarely dulled at the guardposts, where soldiers tapped a hoof or hummed along to the inviting tunes, waiting for a chance to jump in.

One such unicorn guard had a tune floating about in his head when his captain came trotting up. Gallant Lionheart, even while in full armor, still had a solid stride for his age and his facial expression far from the dour glare of the earth pony captain who had come by an hour ago.

"All well here, soldier?" Came the guardcaptain's amicable inquiry. The soldier snapped to attention.

"All quiet in this quadrant, sir!" the soldier crispy replied. Lionheart chuckled.

"It's not quiet anywhere in Canterlot, soldier. In fact, I think it's about time you investigated this rowdy row of people on the next block over. I can't hear myself think!"

The soldier brightened. "Investigating right away, sir!" he galloped off.

~~Did I mention how simple this was, Master Lapis?~~

~~Indeed,~~ the alicorn mentally replied. ~~it seems Violet Force and Silver Shimmer are doing similar with some of the pegasus guards. If not the music or food, proper..... "distractions" that work well on young stallions~~

Lionheart nodded to himself. ~~Soon, my liege. Celestia leaves within the hour~~

Shining Armor marched back and forth through his stretch of perimeter. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was indeed amiss.... his little sister's worry might be getting to him. She didn't say what was going to happen. She was going to be researching. The first officer wondered how his sister would be able to study with the racket of an all-night party ringing in her ears, even if she managed to gain refuge in the Ponyville library.

The music he heard became steadily louder through the night, escalating the anticipation of the Summer Sun Celebration. He was well aware that almost all of Canterlot was celebrating except for a dozen or so guards who had volunteered - those still in Canterlot all on half-shifts, except him. His folks promised him warm cider and fresh cobbler from the market when he came home from his duties. He hoped they would not get swept up too far in the festivities.

His worry faded as he saw the stealthy departure of a pegasus-drawn carriage, flanked by four more winged guards. Celestia was on her way to Ponyville. Resisting the urge to call after her, he spun smartly around to walk back through his area. He hoped that Twily would meet up with Celestia at some point in the celebrations.....

~~Celestia has left Ponyville, Master Lapis~~ Morning Star sent.

~~Excellent. And the guards?~~

~~Most have joined the celebrations,~~ Gallant Lionheart reported. ~~Unsure if there are any in the throne room.~~

Umbral smiled to himself at the news as he secured his armor. He turned to the others, all in different states of suiting up. He loosely fastened his gear in place, watching as each member proudly assembled their custom armors, most chattering in anticipation of the night's plan. Executed correctly, there would be no sunrise. Executed wrong.....Umbral refused to finish that thought. The plan MUST succeed!

~~Morning Star, please find Violet Force and Silver Shimmer and prepare to teleport to the throne room. Make sure you are not seen when you do~~

The unicorn didn't respond, but he understood - she worked dilligently and would be ready for his order.

"GATHER, MY FRIENDS AND ALLIES!" He announced over their conversations. "The time is finally at hand. Each of you will have your orders once we arrive in the throne room:

"Dustmite, you and Sandstone will patrol the near perimeter of the throne room to ensure we are not seen.

"Slurry, you and Hatchet need to occupy the outer perimeter and make sure no alarm is raised;

"Night Ash, you and Desert Sun will stay in the throne room with me to protect the room in case someone chooses to interfere.

"Morning Star and the two pegasi will meet us there. We will all hurry to our posts, then I will prepare the room for the summoning. Maintain all your duties until instructed otherwise. There will be zero communications for the first hour after our arrival. Word will be sent once the mission is completed. Are you all prepared for this Night?"

"Yes sir!" Came the unanimous reply - even from Slurry.

Chapter 14-16

Chapter 14

The throne room was likely the quietest location in Canterlot, where three earth pony guards stood at their posts, longingly looking out at the revelry.

"I thought someone was coming to relieve us," one groused.

"Knowing our captain," the second one posited, "He'll make us stay here all night for thinking about half-shifts."

"Not like him to be late," the third one noted. "He'd have our relief with him."

"Betcha all the pegasi are at the party," the first one grumbled. "Thunder Arrow and Lionheart probably already went, too."

A rattling at the main doors caught their attention. Relieved, they all turned to see if their captain had finally arrived.....

Until the windows started rattling as well. Side doors began to audibly tremble, and a sourceless wind stirred in the room. The three guards spooked, trying to figure out where this threat originated. No faces seen in the windows, no hoof kicking down doors. The room itself grew colder from the winds, then darker. The windows blackened, shielding the lights of the festival from the three trapped guards. Snapping to formation, each pony guard faced a door and blocked the path to the throne.

The blackness deepened, torches magically snuffed as the arches of the ceiling disappeared and replaced with darkness. It hung above them like a patient storm cloud, faint flashes of blue lightning a warning. The cloud sparked, then washed over the guards in a storm of fog. Coughing, the three guards staggered as the magical smoke coalesced past them and in front of the throne. All three wheeled, discovering they were not alone.

As their eyes opened, they felt seven sets of eyes of them.... and turned to face what had arrived.

"Ah, some of the loyal subjects.... it's been so long since I've seen your little sun-loving faces...." came the deep timbre of the lead stallion.

One guard mustered the courage to step forward. "S-state your business! Princess Celestia is not here!" Two steps forward and the lash of a wingwhipblade sent him sprawling.

Another guard advanced but was met with a wingblade to his bare throat by another armored stallion. "Back it up, Private," snarled the red and black armored warrior.

The leader smirked. "What's wrong, soldiers? Am I not 'Royal' enough for you? Do you not know who I am? I can excuse you not knowing my enterouge....."

The second guard met the leader's gaze and froze. "Moonshadow...." he whispered.

"Does my name escape you since I've not been on this throne for a thousand years? You're soldiers, perhaps you are not educated in the legends - and your precious Princess would not warn you of the signs! Though you would know the Legend of the Mare in the Moon, were you not raised on it?"

"The Mare in the Moon is an old pony tale to scare colts and fillies," the second guard sheepishly insisted. The wingblade closed on his throat.

"As I suspected... NO ONE REMEMBERS! You know of the Mare in the Moon, you fear the night! You fear the shadows because of ME! I am the Shadow of the Moon, the Weaver of Nightmares, the Blade of Souls sharpened by the Edge of Night! I am LAPIS UMBRAL!" The statement punctuated with a crack of thunder.

"Now that we know your name," the third guard queried. "Then why are you here?"

Umbral spread his wings. "Remember the day, soldier. It will be your last. Nightmare Moon comes home, and Eternal Night shall begin!"

The third guard charged. Before Umbral could act, Sandstone had plowed the guard into a wall. "Nopony interferes," he growled.

"They will not interfere, Sandstone - but bear witness." A flash of Umbral's eyes and the guards froze into granite statues.

~~Morning Star, it is time~~

Morning Star appeared before Umbral with Violet Force and Silver Shimmer. Umbral then turned to the others.

"My Wildforce," he announced. "You have your duties. Go."

The team scattered to task. Night Ash and Desert Sun cast over each door and window, posting fiery tornadoes that blocked any further access. With a nod to Morning Star she teleported from the throne room.

"We're gonna need her, aren't we?" Violet Force inquired as Umbral was casting.

"She will return.... with a guest."

Shining Armor sighed to himself as the music was starting to die down. The parties would slow just long enough for the sun to rise, then the ruckus would once again be underway. He wondered if everypony would just go back to the balcony where Celestia typically does her routine or if they'll just find a clear view of the east from other parts of Canterlot. Stuck on the north side of the perimeter, he wouldn't be able to see. He hoped that if his parents stayed up for it, they would be watching so they could tell him over breakfast.

"First Officer!"

Shining Armor wheeled to see Silver Bardiche cantering up. "Where are all the guards? I've been around the entire interior perimeter, no one is on duty save a few in the grand hall."

"I didn't dismiss them, sir. I haven't had anyone else report to me tonight, not even my Captain."

Bardiche grumbled and snorted, pawing the ground in frustration. "I knew Lionheart would sneak off to the festivities," he grumbled. "Thunder Arrow crossed himself off for the evening, I'd wonder if he dismissed his men already."

"That doesn't account for the rest of my, much less all of your contingents, sir."

"Most of my men volunteered for the late shift but did not report. They were simply to relieve the early guard, then check in with myself or Lionheart. Thunder Arrow wasn't going to 'babysit'."

"There's no one at the interior perimeter?"

"None," Bardiche growled.

Shining Armor looked around quickly before speaking. "With your permission, sir..."

"I'm listening."

"We need to see if we have anyone on the outside border before moving inward. We'll meet on the south side, then on to the castle proper."

Bardiche nodded and the two galloped off in opposite directions.

Celestia rested quietly before her reveal to the Ponyville citizens. The guards who tended to her had kept their conversations brief and respectful to her, and the guards in the town Hall's grand room had been passing along messages about how excited everyone was about the occasion. Celestia was excited too. The sun would rise at her summons, and a small village who has tended to itself for hundreds of years would be rewarded with the ceremony in person. She was well aware of the celebrations after the sun would be raised, and had heard of all the finery and food awaiting once there was light to the sky again.

"Princess Celestia, you have a visitor."

One of the grand hall guards peeked in on the beloved princess, much to the consternation of a local unicorn who had tried to shoo him off. Celestia tacitly motioned the young mare back, then faced her guard. "I will be making my presentation in a few minutes. Is it one of the citizens?"

"No ma'am," the guard politely replied. "One of your students from Canterlot. She says it's important."

The alicorn stood. "Show her in, please."

Another unicorn entered the sheltered room. "Princess, I'm not here to trouble you...."

Celestia opened her mouth to reassure her visitor, but it was not the unicorn she was expecting.

"Princess Celestia, this could not wait until after the sunrise." Morning Star had entered the room, head lowered, eyes wide in apology. "I have been insensitive to your attempts to teach me. I should have stayed to listen."

Celestia's surprise melted into relief, and she returned to her seated position to talk to her repentant student. "I can make time for apologies."

"May I speak with you on this... more privately?"

Celestia nodded to the guards, and they stepped outside. "Thank you," Morning Star responded.

"Now then," the princess began gently. "Will this mean you'll be returning to classes in the new term?"

"I will be returning to classes," Morning Star cheerily replied, "because I do have much to learn. I spent my time in the library trying to learn some things on my own."

"And what have you learned in that time?"

"I've learned...." Morning Star paused a moment to gather her thoughts. "I have learned that with the right teacher that I will have no limits to what I can achieve."

"Very good."

"I've brought you a gift... a 'friend' of mine found it for me to give to you."

Morning Star's horn began to glow, and a single flower peeled from behind her right ear. "It's a midnight rose," she told the Princess, "a flower that only opens at night. It bloomed shortly after you lowered the sun, and I thought it would be best that you have it. I know they're extremely rare."

"They are," Celestia agreed as she "took" the rose from her student. "I've not seen one in decades. Where did your friend find it?"

The reverent smile on Morning Star's face broadened. "I'll show you."

The rose- and Celestia- vanished. Morning Star admired the silence before taking her leave.

Silver Bardiche had slowed to a trot to assess the perimeter before meeting with Shining Armor on the south side. His ears swiveled in frustration, trying to get the slightest hint of why there were no patrols. With the celebrations dying down it was getting easier to pick up more sound nearby, but most of what he could hear were rushes of wind through the trees. The moon would be light enough, he surmised, to catch anypony in his near area.

His armor rarely silenced as he marched. His gaze never steered to the sky, perhaps where he should have been looking. A twitch of his ear caught the faint whisper of an increasing wind, and he blinked at the flash of two shadows above him. "WHO GOES THERE?!" he demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" a deep voice growled.

Bardiche wheeled to the voice. "I'd - " his voice suddenly lost.

Hovering over him, silhouetted in the moonlight, flapped an --

"..alicorn...." Bardiche whispered. The earth pony started to back away, but his pursuer drifted in closer, sadistic grin only broadening.

"Alicorn," Hatchet repeated definitively. "Know your place, soldier, and KNEEL!"

Bardiche hesitated. "Not fast enough!" Hatchet threatened and sliced across Bardiche's back, clean through the back of the peytal and croupiere. The soldier stood up in shock as armor fell away, and ducked as the wingblade sliced at his helm.

"I said KNEEL!" Hatchet ordered, wingblade pointed directly at Bardiche's snout. "KNEEL BEFORE AN ALICORN!"

"I take no threats - not even from-" his defiance cut off as an armored wing slammed him unconscious.

Hatchet landed as he spotted Slurry standing behind the captain.

"Quit screwing around," Slurry hissed, "you'll catch someone else's ear."

"The look on his face was worth it," Hatchet leered. Let's see who else we can cut!"

Her head hurt. A lot.

It was dark. TOO dark.

Her eyes refusing to open, for the light beyond them would be painful. There, another stabbing of pain; she gasped for air, then could not bring any in.

Her wings felt glued to her sides, unable to move to her mental command.

Muffled sounds of wind and fire distant to her ears...the Great hall was on fire? a freak storm? She finally willed her eyes open, the light at first blinding to her. Blinking furiously, the room fell into place around her.

The Throne Room. She was back in Canterlot.

She could raise her head only slightly, feeling a weight on the back of her neck. Her legs felt like lead, her tail nonexistant.

The room was ringed with tiny firestorms, blocking windows and doorways. She could get her view from the main doors almost to the throne, but no further. A command to her horn to cast only made her head hurt worse.

"She's awake now?" Came a voice just out of her view. "Good. We are almost ready."

Something forcibly twisted her head, stretching her neck painfully. She refused to cry out from the motion, but the sight silenced her before the pain could.

Piercing midnight blue eyes froze her in place, combined with the dark blue shimmer of a midnight black horn. The stormcloud armor hung loosely, the leathery wings arcing off the shoulders as a threat to strike. The chestplate confirmed who had brought her home - the sight of three onyx crescent moons, bordered in pure silver, brought the name to her lips.

"Umbral...." she whispered.

"So you Remember? you appear to be the only one...." he deliberately turned his back to her. "You've awakened just in time. It would be a shame if you missed history."

Celestia struggled to get her footing, but her body refused to move. Or couldn't. She finally looked down, seeing layers of black wrapped around her.

"I see you've met Shadowbane," Umbral turned back to his sister. "It seems that Shadows still breed these fine beasts. So easy to hide in a Midnight Rose."

"What did you do to Morning Star?" Celestia demanded. Again her horn tried to cast, but the white-hot pain made her reel.

"I helped her fulfill a destiny. Apologies in advance for the damage to the throne room, we'll fix it eventually."

Celestia was once again forcibly turned, this time to see the center of the room. The floor had sigils and symbols carved into the marble floors, the carpet leading to the throne shredded and tossed aside. She saw other ponies - unicorns and pegasi - casting and preparing the ceremony. The princess' expression darkened.

"How dare you destroy this room for the sake of your pettiness."

"Pettiness? What you've done is Beyond insult!" Lapis spat at his sister. "You erase the names of family from history in the name of 'Harmony'! You erase the hardships of our mission and duties in the name of 'Harmony'! You insult your own sister in history - all in the name of this 'Harmony' you so dearly value??? The greater the purity you attempt to create, the greater the corruption to come! Can you not SEE this! You have subjects that have no choice but to follow you for there are no options??

"The balance of this world MUST be reset! The Family will not be forgotten! Our Family cannot be lost to history! I will set things right and YOU, Celestia, will be forgotten for these crimes you chose to commit against your own family."

Celestia struggled anew, only for the shadowbane to tighten. The sharp pains from her casting came from the black fangs sunk into her horn, sucking away the magic as it came forth, and then some. He focus returned to her furious brother, who now positioned himself by the rune-etched circle.

"Witness the freedom of the Mare in the Moon, her bonds Unspelled, her eyes to open to see her beloved night from her rightful place!"

Celestia ceased her struggling. Umbral turned away.

"I AM THE STAR OF NORTH, THE LANTERN TO GUIDE THE WAY!"

The Star Compass hovered in the center of the circle, a glimmer from the lapis lazuli mounted on top.

"WE ARE THE STARS OF EAST AND WEST," the two pegasi announced, wings spread. "WE ARE THE SHIELDS WHO BLOCK THE COMING DAY."

The Compass slowly began to spin, a rose quartz and a hematite glowing brightly.

"I AM THE STAR OF SOUTH, THE WEAPON THAT KEEPS THE OTHERS AT BAY!"

The Star Compass began hovering in the center of the room. The needle began spinning, daring someone to stop its rotations before sheathing in blue-white light. Black and dark blue lightning erupted from the sheath and ripped at the walls and windows, shattering many of them and carving a jagged hole in the roof. Tendrils of the black and blue magic swatted away the falling debris as the white sheath accepted four star-shaped essences from the four standing in the cardinal directions. Morning Star closed her eyes; Violet and Silver reared; Lapis gazed to the moon, directing the Four Stars into the heavens to call his dark sister home.

Night Ash "watched" the spell in action as Desert Sun marvelled at the four shimmering stars as they hurtled upward into the night, spiraling around each other in an almost celebratory dance. They left no trail behind them, pushing into the chill of the evening and closing on the sphere above, skewing but remaining separate as they circled the moon to gather their precious cargo and teleport her home. The roar of the spell and the storms in the room drowned Celestia's pleas......

The explosion and roar of the summons froze Shining Armor in his tracks. He saw the four spheres shooting toward the moon, too fast for him to contain with his signature shielding spell. He turned back toward the castle to see smoke rising from between the towers. With a muffled curse he broke into a sprint to find out what was going on.

He covered a dozen yards before he was tripped, then bulldozed out of the air into a tree. A shower of leaves hinted to his location, and he noted some dents in the sides of his peytal. He struggled to his feet, glancing around to who or what struck him. The distraction left him to trip over something else. The unicorn tried to get his footing but a hoof landed solidly on his chest.

"Atta way!" a colt's voice rang out. "Let's keep him busy!"

Shining Armor's protests had no chance to begin as stomps from the large hoof, followed by trampoline bouncing on his midsection by an armor-clad colt, scattered his thoughs and robbed him of breath. Kicking and flailing sent the colt sprawling but did not slow the stomping. "Get OFF me!" Shining Armor coughed.

"You're not goin anywhere," a deep voice replied. "And you hurt little brother. NO ONE hurts little brother."

Another definitive, harder stomp dented the chestplate, followed by a kick that added some dents to the croupiere. He heard the little one galloping back, so in the pause he quickly encased a shield around the colt and tossed him at his attacker. The two earth ponies collapsed in a noisy heap.

"I'm going to find what's going on around here," Shining Armor wheezed before leaving the brothers to untangle themselves.

Celestia could only watch, mystified by her angry brother and his three "disciples" as they cheered on the four "stars" shooting toward the moon.

"...for on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in Nightmare Moon's escape; once free, the world will return to Eternal Night." Umbral shouted proudly before turning to his sister. "Yes, I remembered the Unspell; yes, I knew something of Shadow magic; and yes, I'll even be nice enough to bring the sun back - once we have shown all of Equestria who belongs on that throne!"

His speech interrupted as the Star Compass shattered, scattering metal and the four gems. In place of the brightly glowing artifact formed a jagged purple cloud that billowed through the summoning circle, a glittering smoke bordered in midnight blue. The cloud swirled around the room as if exploring, sweeping past Umbral's disciples and steering clear of the spellcasters. It then settled between Celestia and Umbral, revealing its sole occupant.

Nightmare Moon was home.

Lapis beamed at the sight of his dark sister- shimmering black, still wearing the stormcloud armor that she donned the night they confronted their family, aquamarine eyes wide in surprise and shock. Her glare hesitated on the trapped Celestia before turning to her brother. Her gaze softened as she took a few careful steps toward him, wings tenatively spread. "Umbral...?" she asked.

"You are home," he replied. "This night is ours to continue, but you must make haste. We have paved the way for you - first through the Prophecy, second by the Star Compass, and third by the hooves of those who Remember.

"Our 'dear sister' Celestia," Lapis condescendingly continued, "was to appear before a crowd in the villa of Ponyville - take her place. Remind Equestria. We will stay here and ensure that your word will be spread without interference."

"I have waited too long for this day," Nightmare Moon admitted. "I thank you for returning me home."

Horns crossed, almost symbolically, and the ghostly traces of night wrapped around Lapis Umbral like a new cape, hugging his shoulders and trailing over his legs, down his body and back up again before dissapating into a silvery shower of shared magic. She flapped her wings once, reared and vanished in a second swirl of the sparkling smoke, washing over him again like a wave.

His midnight-blue eyes closed as the magic continued to seep into him. It sank into his bones and muscles, awakening them as if he, too, had slept a thousand years. The stars began to twinkle in the confines of his curled mane, stretching it out and waving it in an unseen night breeze. His tail showed similar glimmers and almost rose up from its normally lowered position in revelry. The black in his coat flickered with the newfound stars, and the grays swirled like hurricane clouds. The new colors glowed under the barding as his form filled the armor properly. His eyes opened, even bluer than before and glistening like royal sapphires. He turned to his contingent, seeing them all in a reverent kneel before him. A slow, faint trace of a smile spread across his muzzle before he leapt from the ground, wings beating only once to place him dead center in the royal hall.

"LET THE NIGHT CONTINUE!" he thundered. "UNDER THE LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF THE MOON!"

Chapter 15

Thunder Arrow stifled a yawn as he trotted through the streets of Canterlot proper. The celebrations had slowed, and whispers of confusion permeated. Where was the sun? The longest day was to start soon, wasn't it? The pegasus guardcaptain had lost track of time, himself.

He frowned as clouds had formed over the castle, creeping into the town. "Violet and Silver are going to ruin the sunrise with that, aren't they?" he muttered.

The cloud rolled overhead like an unspooling carpet, rich in grays and blacks. No lightning to hint its approach, but a spill of fog underneath, just enough to reduce visibility. The air grew moist and thick, the humidity pressing down on the area. The moon remained clear in the sky, hovering in place and comfortable in its spot.... and brighter. It took a few looks for Thunder Arrow to comprehend what was happening, and was confirmed with two enormous claps of thunder.

Two pegasi had landed on the roof of a building close to the center of town. One was tall and heavily armored, standing guard next to..... a black and red alicorn. Thunder Arrow gaped.

"CANTERLOT!! AWAKEN TO ETERNAL NIGHT!" The "alicorn" announced. "NIGHTMARE MOON HAS RETURNED AND HER SHADOW HOLDS YOUR CASTLE! BOW TO THE SHADOW OF THE MOON, UMBRAL! BOW TO HIS KNIGHTS AND SURRENDER YOUR LOVE OF DAYLIGHT! YOU WANT YOUR SUN BACK? KNEEL! KNEEL IN THE NAME OF THE SHADOW OF THE MOON!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAAAA~!!!!"

The pegasus behind him did not speak, but glared alternately at who she guarded and those below. The citizens, either too dazed or tired from the party, weren't comprehending.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Thunder Arrow called back. "HOW DARE YOU THINK THIS KINGDOM IS YOURS! PRINCESS CELESTIA WILL RAISE THE SUN AND BLIND YOU TO YOUR FOLLY!"

The black and red "alicorn" laughed even harder. "SHE'S MINE, GREYSKIES! AND MY DESCENDANTS WILL RULE ALL OF EQUESTRIA!"

"I think you're overdoing it," Slurry whispered to the grinning Hatchet.

"Just give me this one, Slurry.... Umbral's doing the same thing to Celestia's face right now." Slurry rolled her eyes.

Thunder Arrow launched toward the rooftop where Hatchet stood. The two pegasi saw him coming and launched as well. "Face me, Alicorn!" Thunder Arrow demanded.

Hatchet swooped back around, showing off his wingblades. "Let's see whatcha got, Greyskies! Yer brave comin after me unarmed and unarmored!"

"Crap, he got away....."

Dustmite cantered around in frantic circles, searching for the unicorn stallion they had stopped. "He had armor on too," the little one continued.

"He wasn't a captain, tho," Sandstone said as he pushed back to four hooves, shouldering his armor back into place. "We're gonna need to find him, he might be headin for the grand hall."

The two zebras hurried off.

Bardiche groaned angrily as the world started reappearing around him. He felt like someone - or something - dropped a statue on his head. His helmet had rolled off, a deep dent just behind the ear holes.

"Another alicorn," he grumbled. "Probably zapped me unconscious. Why would he come here, when the princess is in Ponyville....." His frown deepened.

"Of course an alicorn would come here while she's away - if that one's even half as strong as Celestia....."

He galloped toward the main hall.

In Ponyville, Mayor Mare had the task of trying to calm her citizens. The hall guards were thankfully not seriously hurt, just shaken up from Nightmare Moon whipping them aside with lightning. Two helped with the crowd control while the third investigated what had happened.

"Please try to remain calm, everypony," the Mayor reassured. "I'm sure that what we heard was an-"

A piercing scream sent everyone scattering. The two guards hurried to the source, finding a poor young mare against a wall in the back area, trembling as though Nightmare Moon herself loomed over her. One tended to the poor red-maned mare as the other found three statues in the back with her. The guard paused, as in the low light he did not recognize any faces. "We need some lanterns back here!" he called.

The first guard repeated the order before turning to the shivering mare. "What happened here, milady?"

"I...I...." her eyes welled up with tears. "They were like that when I came back here after Nightmare Moon disappeared. I thought they were your comrades."

Mayor Mare and a couple of unicorns came to the back area with lanterns in tow to shed light on the matter. "Is everypony all right?" The frazzled mayor asked.

"She is, ma'am," one guard replied. "Which is more than I can say for them...."

Mayor Mare looked at the statues again, swallowing a scream of her own before approaching them. Each one frozen in mid-step, expressions unchanged. "What would have done this?" she asked the soldiers.

"Has to be magic, ma'am," the other guard replied. "We're just not sure what. Can we get the unicorns to move the statues closer to the wall? Don't want these knocked over."

The two unicorns carefully levitated one toward the wall. A guard noticed something falling from underhoof. He approached it carefully, sniffing at it. "Roses?" he queried.

The red-maned pony approached it carefully. "A Midnight Rose," she confirmed. "but what was it doing there? Did someone have flowers for Princess Celestia?"

"It fell off the hoof of one of the guard statues," the guard replied before approaching the moved statue "but I think that's a coinci-"

The guard's hoof landed on the petal, and he froze instantly. The red-maned mare fainted.

~~Such clever little foals,~~ Nightmare Moon updated her brother, ~~they're going to the ruins~~

~~follow them,~~ he replied, ~~make sure they do not get there, and if they do, sunder the stones~~

"I can hear you both," Celestia reminded Umbral.

"You should not eavesdrop on a private conversation," Umbral snapped. With a nod the shadowbane constricted, causing Celestia to grimace. "This night will continue, the darkness the cloak and the stars are my crown!"

"You think that darkness is your ally," Celestia whispered. "You merely adopted the dark, and it welcomes anyone."

"And you belittle me further?" He protested, snapping the wingwhipblade on her necklace. "You are in no position - "

Celestia didn't flinch. "The Shadows will betray you. A spark is all it takes to bring light and dispell shadows."

"This is a new time, dear sister - a 'day' I have waited for for a thousand years. The day that I BREAK THE VERY SUN!"

The white alicorn could only glare in defiance. The Shadow of the Moon locked stares with her and whipped her again, this time knocking her tiara off her head. "But what shall break first, dear sister... your spirit...." On cue, the shadowbane tightened. ".... or your physical body?"

"You....cannot....break....a...spirit...."

"Then I'll have to settle for breaking everything else. Pity."

Chapter 16

Thunder Arrow careened through the air, wings over tail, as the pegasus and alicorn pinballed him through the clouds. He could not fight them both at the same time, and would almost take his chances against the alicorn than his companion. Her strength - augmented by her wing-shields - had nearly stunned him out of the sky. He stung from several slices from the alicorn's wingblades and seared from a few lightning strikes. Now the two sailed around him almost mockingly, buzzing him and swiping at him in attempt to get him grounded.

"KEEP RUNNING!" the alicorn howled. "YOU'LL JUST DIE TIRED!"

Thunder Arrow banked hard and kicked a cloud in his direction. "I'LL FLY ALL NIGHT, MONSTER!"

The cloud slid in Hatchet's direction, and he slashed clean through. "HOLD STILL, THIS WON'T HURT LONG.... BUT OHHH IT'S GONNA HURT!!"

The pegasus guardcaptain picked up speed, steering toward the grand hall. "CATCH ME AND PERHAPS I'LL FULFILL YOUR WISH!"

Hatchet gave chase. Slurry caught up with her partner. "He's going to the Main Hall!"

"Let him," Hatchet sneered, "If I don't get him, Boss will."

Slurry peeled off from Hatchet, spotting someone below. "Just stop him!" she called after Hatchet.

Shining Armor spotted Silver Bardiche charging toward the Main Hall. "Captain!"

Bardiche saw the unicorn and changed course. "What the hay is going on in this place? There's another alicorn on the loose who dropped me with a thought."

"There's a couple of zebras in heavy armor running around here too... definitely not ours. Did someone know Princess Celestia wasn't going to be here?"

"Just roughly half of Equestria," Bardiche snorted. "We should have known better."

"Lionheart said we had adequate complement...."

Bardiche snorted again. "'Adequate' is never enough. And I haven't seen him all night!"

Shining Armor glanced up, seeing Thunder Arrow being chased around above. "This was planned... all planned....."

"So now what?" Bardiche demanded. "Everyone's 'tired' from the celebrations, we'll be lucky to scare up any backup."

"I've been up all night - what's stopping me?"

"Us," a deep voice responded.

The earth pony guardcaptain and unicorn first officer turned to the voice, seeing two fully armored zebras standing with a tall female pegasus. "We're makin sure you don't go anywhere," the large stallion continued.

"On who's orders?" Bardiche snapped.

"On the orders of the Shadow of the Moon," Sandstone replied. "Sun's not comin back anytime soon."

~~your accent's slipping~~ Dustmite "sent" to his brother.

~~that was an accident!~~

"You needed to stay down," the pegasus growled at Bardiche. "You're tougher than I thought."

"I ain't goin anywhere," Bardiche growled back. "And neither are you."

Shining Armor took the split second to cast, capturing all three in a sphere. "You're all under arrest for treason to the Crown," Bardiche announced. "You have the right to remain in that spell. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the presence of Celestia herself. You have the right to explain yourself, because that'll be one heck of a story."

"Your orders are invalid," Slurry shot back.

"You can't keep us in here!!!" Dustmite protested. "Stony, Slurry, get us out!"

Sandstone and Slurry started pounding away at the shield. Shining Armor braced, not expecting the sheer strength of the larger zebra's kicks. The little one found a safe spot between the other two. "You can't hold us forever!" The little one jeered. "Once we're out, we're gonna trample you like a horde of buffalo! You're gonna be flatter than carpet!"

"Hold them steady, First Officer," Bardiche ordered. Shining Armor was already straining to keep the shield together.

"Let us out!" Slurry punctuated each word with a slam of her armored wing and shoulder.

Shining Armor kept focused on the sphere as Bardiche approached it. "You'll all be rotting in the dungeons once we take care of you and your boss."

Dustmite made faces at the Earth pony captain. "You and what army?"

"I don't need an army," he replied with a nod to Shining Armor. "Just need to knock you folks down a peg. NOW!"

The shield dissipated, and in that split second Bardiche had spun around and bucked Slurry away from her friends. She slammed hard into a statue and fell in a heap.

"SLURRY!" Sandstone called after her. She looked up dazedly.

Shining Armor then recast the shield around the brothers. Sandstone faced Bardiche, his magenta eyes darkening. "You... HURT.... her...."

"She's in armor, she's here to fight!" Bardiche justified. "What about you?"

Sandstone didn't verbally respond - his charge shattered the shield spell as he lunged for Silver Bardiche. "NO ONE HURTS HER ANYMORE!" He snarled as he trampled the earth pony captain without slowing.

"That's whatcha get for messin with us!" Dustmite crowed, barreling up to Shining armor and knocking him off his feet.

Sandstone would have been proud of his brother... if he wasn't so focused on avenging Slurry. Shining Armor kicked Dustmite away to help Silver Bardiche.

Lapis Umbral casually placed the guard statues in front of each door to the throne room. "You may dispell, milades, I believe we are safe for the moment."

The winds and fires snuffed out.

"You would have been welcomed back, Lapis," Celestia said to her brother. "A thousand years is time enough to heal wounds."

"You cannot heal this wound, sister. What you have done to this Family is inexcuseable. Why do you take our names out of the history books and scrolls? Why do you hide our finery behind closed doors? Where is the window that showed the 'harmony' you so enjoy? Where we stood together as a Family, where we defeated the very spirit of Chaos.

"We were all proud, even elated, that we were able to restore Equestria to its rightful place. I fear that your 'role' has made you arrogant and complacent, and it shows in how easy this takeover has been so far."

"I did not forget," Celestia sternly replied, "and that should be enough for the Family. Recall - our parents are not documented either."

"Father and Mother's history is far enough back that even if we remembered, would you have it commited to a scroll or book? You seem too happy that the 'origin' that the current generations learn is merely between you and Luna. You even spite Solaris in saying you alone weilded the Elements against her. *I* remember that night. You and Solaris. Luna and myself. It was a request-"

"A demand," Celestia corrected.

"All we asked is that there be equality! Nopony stayed awake to see Luna's work! Nopony would dare venture out when the moon was in the sky! They huddled in their homes, spoke in whispers and retold of Luna as some monster that fed on ponies as if she were half-dragon!"

"She is remembered on Nightmare Night."

"As a MONSTER! Not as the Princess of the Night! No one worships her as you have made Equestria only remember the one night in the centuries we worked together where she rightfully rebelled ag-"

"FOR EQUESTRIA!"

Umbral startled at the interruption, seeing a dark gray pegasus rocketing into the throne room from the open ceiling. No order spoken from the dark alicorn; Violet Force and Silver Shimmer launched to attack. Celestia could move her head just enough to see Thunder Arrow being triple-teamed above them, battered with wing-shields and scarred with wingblades. She looked to her brother, who watched with the coldest of indifference as Violet Force slammed Thunder Arrow to the ground at Umbral's feet.

"I see you've come alone," Umbral observed. "Not a sound strategy."

"what have you done....." Thunder Arrow wheezed, exhausted from the chase and the fight. He struggled to stand to only have Hatchet land on one wing. He grimaced but refused to show the pain from it. "why.... do you... do this....."

"Why do you resist? Is the message not clear? *I* rule Equestria now. Nightmare Moon will be returning here in a few hours and this will truly be over."

"Kneel," Hatchet hissed at Thunder Arrow, who refused to move.

Lapis snapped a wingwhipblade on Thunder Arrow's free wing. "Speak! Are others coming? Do they dare try to stop me when I could end my sister's rule much more permanently?"

On cue, the shadowbane constricted. Celestia refused to cry out from the pain. "Stubborn, the both of you."

"no.... others....?" Thunder Arrow asked through short breaths.

"No one other than the guards when we arrived. You alone stand against me." Violet Force and Silver Shimmer landed, flanking Umbral. "Since you did not Remember."

Thunder Arrow's eyes widened when he recognized the brother and sister next to the dark alicorn. "those weren't.... stories...."

"NOW do you understand?" Violet Force gloated.

"WE'RE taking over," Silver Shimmer bragged.

"and YOU," Morning Star finished, "will be the memory." A twinkle from her horn, and Thunder Arrow fell unconscious.

Sandstone and Dustmite were dropped in an unconscious pile at the base of the statues, encased in a shield for now. Shining Armor had a lot of trouble stopping the larger zebra the second time, and worried for the earth pony captain. He trotted back to Silver Bardiche, who lay in his side, armor bent and pocked awkwardly from the berserker attack that he barely survived.

"Captain...." Shining Armor apologized.

"I'll live," Bardiche grumbled. "but not gonna be much help to you now. Whatever's going on, it's gotta be stopped."

"I could get you to the infirmary...."

"I said I'm fine," Bardiche coughed. He attempted to stand, then slouched back to the ground with a groan.

"Captain, I-"

"Get inside, First Officer. That's an order. I'll be here when you get back."

Shining Armor hesitated before wheeling toward the main hall.

Chapter 17

~~The elements of Harmony are here,~~ Nightmare Moon informed her brother. ~~They will be sundered before these foals to prove our mission complete~~

~~Thank you sister, I'm sure even Celestia is glad to know this~~

Celestia remained defiantly silent. She softened as she saw Desert Sun and Night Ash levitate the unconscious Thunder Arrow to another part of the room. "What will you do with him?" she asked her brother quietly.

"He yet lives, I'm not about to remove him as he appears to be a strong pegasus soldier. I cannot speak for any of my group, however....."

Celestia puzzled the statement, then gasped when she saw Hatchet launch to that side of the room. "He likes to play," Umbral explained with the faintest of smiles, "I worry that he breaks toys on occasion...."

The Princess had finally enough of her brother's smugness. She started to struggle again, the Shadowbane caught off-guard as she had remained still for so long. It gripped her tightly, but the thrashing was hard to calm immediately. Shadowbane bit down on her horn - hard - and her body spasmed, actually rocking the two off the floor for a moment. "I won't let you get away with this," She promised.

"'get away with'?" Umbral repeated. "My dear sister, who will save you now?"

His answer came from the main doors being bucked in, dumping the statue aside. All turned to the entrance.

"Princess Celestia!" Shining Armor called. "I am here."

"A lone unicorn solder?" Umbral smirked. "You're kidding, of course...."

Shining Armor lowered his head and challenged Umbral. The alicorn was surprised that this one's tenacity. "Stand back, miladies. Permit me to finish this one myself."

Shining Armor charged. Umbral smirked, and in a display he reared, letting his wings spread wide and thunder backlight him to a giant shadow. Shining Armor closed, horn glimmering to life. Umbral's horn sparked, but before the winds could blow they swirled around him inside a large magenta sphere.

"What is-" He stammered as Shining Armor charged right past Lapis to Celestia.

"My princess," he whispered to her as he slid up to her and the Shadowbane.

"Soldier," she whispered back, "stall him a few moments longer..... please...." She tried not to cry out again as the shadowbane squeezed her tight.

"Princess!" Shining Armor could not help her as he felt his shield shatter with the alicorn's magic.

"You FOAL!" Umbral bellowed. "You seal your fate with your interference!"

Shining Armor charged again, but his path blocked with a line of fire. "Back away, soldier," Desert Sun warned.

"He is mine, milady. Please tend to what's left of that pegasus."

Desert Sun backed politely away, flames dropping only slightly. It was enough for Shining Armor to easily clear and he leapt closer. He landed and ducked as a wingwhipblade zipped overhead, then pulled himself to his full height to rear.

Umbral lunged, the two horns crossing and arcing with blue and dark purple lightning. Shining Armor pushed forward, Umbral pushing down. "This is futile, soldier," he taunted, "you have no chance against me!"

"I still stand, I stil fight!" Shining Armor growled back, "my life means little if our Princess is in danger!"

"You should not stick your horn in Family business!"

"Family?" Shining Armor's guard dropped only slightly. Enough for Umbral to clap him with his massive wings. The unicorn slumped.

"It is done," Lapis Umbral declared. "None here to oppose me, none who can stop me! So said the legends, so brought by the Star Compass. Sister, surely you will abdicate to my victory?"

"The elements...." she whispered.

"The elements are dead."

At this proclamation Lapis felt something - a twinge of magic, distant, but familiar. He turned first in the direction of where Nightmare Moon had taken the stones of the elements, and he knew she had shattered them. But what was this new trace?

Celestia's resolve steeled when she too felt it. The others in the room knew something - whatever it was - was happening. The shadowbane loosened its grip to tighten, but Celestia was ready for it. Whipping her head aside, the shadowbane had lost its grip. It snapped at her horn, and with a brilliant flash of light it dissipated with a howl of agony.

"You think that The Elements of Harmony are so easily destroyed?" Celestia queried as the last of the black bonds fell away. "That's not how they work ."

"The only ones capable of wielding the elements were our Family!" Umbral protested. "With the lines drawn, they would never activate again. With Solaris, Cepheid and Aphelion no longer here, they would be useless."

"The elements are living spirits and they are at home where Harmony can resonate. One of my students - and her newfound friends - have awakened them with the bonds of friendship forged because of this absurd takeover!

"Had you forgotten what happened when the Elements were brought to the castle the first night? how they each reached to us? Do you even remember why it worked?"

"Friendship??" Umbral snorted in disgust, "Friendship is fleeting! The Elements worked for us because we were a Family- a family of Alicorns!"

"They worked," Celestia continued in a lowered voice, "because at that time we WERE a family:

"Aphelion, who balanced the tides with the Moon and held us together with truth, bore the Agate of Honesty;

"Solaris, our eldest brother, who raised us when our parents departed and showed us how to build this kingdom, earned the Tourmaline of Kindness;

"Cepheid, who stepped away from his duties of balancing the sun and seasons and found the Elements on a long journey to aid us in defeating Discord, barring all distraction but his mission, bore the Ruby of Loyalty.

"These, with you and Luna at our sides, created the Spark that armed me with the Tanzanite of Magic, and completed the circle that banished Discord. It was not because we were alicorns, it was because we worked as one. You, and Nightmare Moon, made the single mistake of silencing the Elements for our Family."

"Luna's Generosity was never appreciated! That was the entire point - "

"I'm not finished," Celestia interrupted. "Your rebellion that night, one thousand years ago, was Luna turning away from her element of Generosity - resentful that she thought no one appreciated her work and forcing it on all of Equestria. And you. my brother, fall as well - for you have long since FORGOTTEN

HOW

TO

LAUGH."

Lapis could not mount a protest - the realization, and the sudden drain of magic as Nightmare Moon was dispelled, left him staggering as though physically struck. The stars in his coat were gone; his star sapphire eyes now nothing more than their darkest blue; and his mane and tail nothing more than a curled and shaggy mess as though he'd run through a rainstorm. Celestia did not waver as her gaze pierced him like a sharpened wingblade.

"You see, Umbral, these spirits can only resonate in Harmony. That no longer resonates in our Family, but in the hearts and minds of all ponies. They work hard, and together they have created a Harmony that no magic or demand can sunder. Friendship and Harmony are what make Equestria what it is. You cannot change that."

Night Ash and Desert Sun brought Hatchet with them back to the two alicorns. Desert Sun's expression fell when she saw Umbral without the stars in his coat. Night Ash could tell something was wrong, but couldn't speak.

Violet Force and Silver Shimmer winged over as well. Morning Star was gaping at her new teacher.

"Boss....?" was all Hatchet could muster. All of them looked to Lapis Umbral, who had been working so hard with them, letting them live their dreams, trying to make - and change - history, could only stare as their Master, their 'king' whose words and actions had brought the Wild Force together and assembled the Four Stars, wobbling in place with an expression they'd never seen from him.

There were tears in his eyes.

Tears formed at the ends of The Shadow of the Moon's midnight-blue eyes, the despondence and disbelief of a thousand years' work shattering before him.

The others looked to each other. They had not heard him laugh - they had seen hope in his eyes, faint smirks, and Night Ash even recalled him singing - but never a laugh.

"Why ... why should I laugh...."

"Because that was who you once were, Lapis."

The dark alicorn steeled, locking gazes with his sister. "No," he replied, clouds gathering overhead. "THERE WILL BE NO LAUGHTER!!" he reared, and the entire room washed over in Absolute Night. Thunder roared and the winds blasted through the room, staggering Celestia.

She whipped away the darkness with her wings, only to find the room damaged even further. Her former student, the two other unicorns, the armored pegasi - they were gone. Celestia lowered her head, eyes closing. "I'm sorry, Lapis," She whispered to herself before turning eastward. She had a sun to raise..... and a student to congratulate.

Epilogue

Epilogue

"....and this is why I have given this advice to you, sister."

Luna had listened to the entire story, head lowered. She looked up to Celestia, who watched quietly to see what her sister would say next.

"You did not punish those who did this to you?" she asked tenatively.

"They have made their choices and fled with our brother. But much was learned about our kingdom, and some of our processes.

"Shining Armor, for his dedication and duty, was promoted to guard captain over all three contingents. Thunder Arrow and Silver Bardiche are advisors to him, establishing stronger communication between groups and training together.

"We have added more guards to the Royal Library and have limited almost everypony from going there after dark, unless they have permission from the librarian.

"The earth pony guards who were turned to stone were freed after the celebrations, so no harm done. I have also received requests from some of the pegasi contingent to work directly for you."

"But there were others - those that turned away from you."

"There were," Celestia affirmed. "And I fear we have not seen the last of Lapis Umbral, the Shadow of the Moon. Harmony saved you, sister; someday, it will save him, too."